Conflicted Interest
by angelgirlsko12
Summary: Following the end of their first term of U.A. High School, Yaoyorozu invites Todoroki to accompany her to her parents' annual party for their wealthy circle of friends. Thus begins a chain of events that draw the two together, forcing them to navigate the blurred lines between their own goals and desires and those of their parents. (Updates weekly on Fridays)
1. A Mother's Request

"I'm home…"

Momo slipped off her shoes, not expecting any response. Her parents were typically occupied with work around this time, so the house was peaceful and quiet—the perfect environment to get a lot of studying done. While she typically worked best alone, it had been nice having friends from school over for study sessions. Something about having a lot of people at home was…refreshing. Momo made a mental note to ask her mother about hosting another one sometime in the near future.

Even though exams were over, she still wanted to study up on formulas so she could hit the ground running at their upcoming training camp. On the other hand…there would be plenty of time for studying in the next few weeks and she was pretty exhausted from the day's events. She couldn't help smiling as the practical exam came to mind. Her heart swelled with pride as she reminded herself. _I passed. My plan worked_. Not to mention the kind words spoken by Todoroki…

Momo walked into the dining room and was surprised to find her mother seated at the table, hands folded neatly in front of her and back against the high-backed chair in perfect posture. Mrs. Yaoyorozu looked up as her daughter walked in, as if she had been waiting expectantly for her.

That was never a good sign.

"Welcome home, dear," she greeted Momo, straining a smile.

"Good afternoon, Mother," she responded, smiling politely. "I'm surprised you're home so early."

"Yes, well—work was less busy than usual," she said dismissively. She opened her mouth to continue, and judging from the large intake of air that preceded it…Momo knew she wasn't going to like what was coming next.

"So I was talking with Mrs. Kaneshiro this morning," she started, looking at the tops of her perfectly manicured nails. "About the party we're hosting next weekend."

 _Right, how could I possibly forget THE party…_ since exams had been looming, she had totally pushed it to the back of her mind. Momo was already dreading the amount of mental energy she would need to make it through the event. As far back as she could remember, her parents had hosted this annual celebration for their wealthy circle of friends and business partners. As a kid, she had marveled at it all—the lavish decorations, men and women dressed like princes and princesses, delicious, decadent food that served her quirk well—but the novelty had worn off over the years as she had grown up and had to assume the responsibility of _actually socializing_ with all the people there.

Mrs. Kaneshiro, her mother's closest friend—if you could call her that—had always been in the habit of passing along the ongoing gossip amongst their circle to her mother. Momo had never been particularly fond of the woman because of that, but she supposed it was a good thing her mother enjoyed socializing with others about affairs that didn't directly relate to work.

Her mother cleared her throat, pulling Momo from her thoughts. "Anyways, she was telling me that the young Mr. Kuroshima asked her daughter to accompany him to our upcoming party," she continued, tapping her nails on the nicely lacquered table. Momo nodded, looking to the ceiling as she attempted to track with her mother. She knew Mrs. Kaneshiro daughter, Shion, from the various get togethers their families had organized over the years (and a lot more _about_ her from the many phone conversations her mother had had with Mrs. Kaneshiro). Since the two of them were around the same age, they got along well enough; though if it weren't for their parents' friendship, Momo suspected there would be little reason for them to interact.

 _Kuroshima…Kuroshima…_ There were always so many people at these parties they threw; it was a good thing she had a decent memory. Ah yes, the well-dressed man with the bored expression who was roughly two years her senior. She vaguely remembered having a rather tedious conversation with him during their last encounter. "That's—wow. Good for her." _I guess._

"Yes, indeed. She also told me," she continued, her face turning to one of displeasure, "That the eldest Sato son has been seeing the Kuroshima daughter as well."

"That's great…" Momo responded awkwardly, looking at the ground as she tried not to fidget. It always made her feel uncomfortable when her mother brought up the Sato family. She didn't like where this was going.

"What's more…" Mrs. Yaoyorozu crossed her arms across her chest, an unsettling glint in her eye. "The Takasu and Minamoto children will also be coming this year. Mrs. Kaneshiro heard that Hiro met a nice girl while he was studying abroad. There are rumors she has an exceedingly powerful quirk…but I guess we'll find out exactly what next weekend."

Momo nodded mechanically, inching towards the doorway. "Cool. Thanks for telling me all this, Mother. Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to study…" _Need_ was a strong word given they had literally just finished practical exams, but she didn't feel too guilty over it given the current situation.

"The reason I'm telling you this, Momo," Her mother said excitedly, ignoring her silent plea to leave the conversation. "Is that—you're almost 16 now—"

"—Right."

"—and while I think it is important that you focus on your academics first and foremost, it might be in your best interest to start…considering these things."

"What things?" She asked, despite knowing full well the answer. So what if everyone else was in a relationship? Almost 16 was hardly old enough to be thinking about things like that.

"It sounds like all the other children your age will be bringing a plus one. And it would be a shame for the Yaoyorozu heir to be the only one without a date," She stated flatly, her smile fading. She shook her head. "Look, I'm not saying you need to jump into a relationship or anything. But for the sake of the upcoming party…bringing an escort would be in good taste."

 _What_. "Mother, are you serious!?" Momo stared back at the woman incredulously. She had been right to assume this conversation would not be a pleasant one.

"I'm dead serious. Your father and I already talked about this and he agrees," She leaned forward in her seat, chuckling. "He wanted to set you up with one of his colleague's sons, so be grateful I talked him out of that at least."

Momo rubbed her eyes, trying to hide her exasperation. "And what's the alternative?"

"You are attending one of the best hero schools in the country. I'm sure there is at least one handsome young man among your classmates who would be willing to accompany you," her mom responded pointedly. _Preferably one who also has a powerful Quirk and is of recognizable social status._ She didn't say it, but Momo knew the expectation was there.

 _And what if I don't?_ She wanted to say, but she knew there was no "if". If she had already discussed it with her father, it was pretty much law at this point.

"Just think of this as an opportunity, okay, Momo?"

"I'll see what I can do," she mumbled, flashing a weak smile. _An opportunity for me? Or for you?_ She bit back the urge to shoot back.

"How did exams go, by the way?" Her mother inquired as an afterthought.

"Fine," Momo replied shortly, the earlier topic of conversation leaving a bad taste in her mouth. All thoughts of the practical exam and the joy she had felt in passing faded away as she walked out of the room.

* * *

 _(A/N: If it wasn't already apparent, this takes place at the tail end of Season 2, right after practical exams, and runs parallel to the anime-canon. Things may diverge down the line as I have not watched the movie nor am I up to date with the manga s YET /s ^^;_

 _This was originally supposed to be a one-shot but at some point it evolved. I have zero experience writing multi-chapter fics so this'll be a ride for me as well. Feedback is highly appreciated~thanks!)_


	2. Lady's Choice

Jirou often teased Momo about how "inhumanly fast" her usual pace of walking was, but today the girl took her time walking up the steps to their classroom, the weight of her thoughts slowing her down and completely tuning out the din of students clamoring in the hallway. Momo sighed. This whole ordeal really felt like such a ridiculous problem to have. She tried her best not to come off as a spoiled rich kid, but really, things like this were what she hated most about her parents' world. While she wasn't all that opposed to the idea of inviting along a friend from Class 1-A, the fact her mother had made it imperative—and for such a superficial reason—didn't sit well with her.

Despite her trek being slower than usual, upon opening the door to the classroom she found she was still one of the few students who had arrived early. The clock on the wall indicated there were still thirteen and a half minutes until the bell rang. Greeting Iida, Tokoyami, and Hakagure, who appeared to be resting her head on the desk—sleeping, maybe, judging from her lack of response—Momo settled into her desk at the back of the room and continued ruminating on her mother's words.

Deep down she knew her parents loved her, but situations like these reinforced the cynical idea in the back of her mind that she was nothing more than a pawn to them. Her Quirk and achievements at school earned them bragging rights among their peers, and it appeared whoever her future significant other would be would eventually factor into the equation as well. She sincerely hoped when she grew to their age that she'd have good friends she could wholeheartedly trust, not just people to play this game of comparison with.

Perhaps that's why she loved being at U.A. As the rest of her classmates slowly trickled in, shouting greetings at those who were already present, she couldn't help but smile. The camaraderie among the students of Class 1-A was one she treasured deeply. She'd never experienced it before—in primary school, everyone had been at each others' throats, fighting for the top grades and achievements. Given that she was the top student then—coupled with her mother's strict study schedule for her—she hadn't really made any friends. While they were all competing with each other to become the best pro heroes they could be, Class 1-A was vastly different in that everyone was willing to help each other attain their goals. Maybe it had to do with their level of maturity, but they had definitely developed indomitable teamwork skills that she hoped would last far into the future.

 _If I had to invite someone from U.A…_

Momo started making a mental list of all the possible options there were. The party was coming up fairly soon, so it would be polite to bring it up sooner rather than later. Despite the fact the seat adjacent to her was still empty, Todoroki immediately popped into her mind. She pushed the thought away, considering instead her classmates that were currently present in the room.

There was Iida. As the Class President, he was no doubt an honorable and well-spoken person who would probably be willing to tag along if it meant helping out his fellow Vice President. While she appreciated his enthusiasm, she had to admit that sometimes he could come off as a bit…overbearing. It was especially helpful in motivating their entire class, but she wasn't sure if she could handle it herself for the duration of the party.

She didn't feel close enough to Tokoyami to consider asking him to accompany her. Her eyes inadvertedly settled on Mineta, who was walking between the desks to his seat. He raised his eyebrows, his mouth settling into a creepy grin. Momo scowled back, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Who knew what perverted thoughts were going through his mind this morning. _Definitely not Mineta. Not in a million years._

Bakugo yelled some expletive from the front of the classroom, interrupting Momo's thoughts. She smirked as she imagined him pissing off all of her parents' guests at the party. They would all be familiar with him given his win at the U.A. Sports Festival. His presence would be polarizing for sure. But she wasn't particularly close to the hothead, and she doubted he'd be the slightest bit interested, either.

"Hey, Yaomomo!" Jirou waved at her best friend as she found her seat, Kaminari trailing behind her. Momo smiled back. If she truly wanted to be a rebel, she could just bring Jirou as her escort. _Yeah, right._ That would _definitely_ go over well with her parents.

Kaminari was out of the question for…obvious reasons. She watched as the spiky-haired boy laughed animatedly at something Jirou said. A knowing smile spread across Momo's face.

Midoriya had stated earlier in the week he had plans the following weekend (likely celebrating his birthday, she assumed), as did Kirishima. She wasn't really comfortable asking any of her other classmates, nor students from the other classes…

Her mind drifted back to Todoroki, and as she looked over to his seat she realized she had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't notice him come in. He was leaning forward on his desk, facing straight ahead, and she couldn't tell if he was awake or not as his bangs obscured his eyes.

Redirecting her gaze to the top of her desk, she revisited the possibility of inviting Shouto Todoroki to her parents' upcoming party. She still felt subtly resistant to the idea but the more she thought about it, Todoroki was the most logical choice. Of all of her male classmates, he was the one she trusted and respected the most. Their success during the previous day's exam was still fresh in her mind, and the words he had spoken to her then...clearly he respected her, too.

He also hailed from a well-known Hero family and had a reputation for a powerful quirk following the U.A. Sports Festival. Her parents would no doubt be elated if she was accompanied by the famed Endeavor's son.

That she even considered the second part made her feel unsettled. She didn't want to have the same ulterior motives her parents had in making these kinds of decisions. But in looking back at the guys in 1-A she had considered…most of them were top students in the class. Momo made a face. She tried her best to be humble—and really didn't want to come off as elitist—but maybe subconsciously her parents had still influenced her thinking.

"You okay, Yaoyorozu?"

She turned to her right to find Todoroki staring back at her curiously. Her heart skipped a beat. He must have seen the look of displeasure on on her face. _Awkward._

"Yeah, I'm fine," She responded, trying to sound chipper. "Just…thinking about things."

Todoroki blinked. "Oh…okay." He turned back to face the front, but not before Momo caught a ghost of a smile on the corner of his lips.

 _It's a shame he doesn't smile more,_ she thought, a small smile forming on her own face. Something about his presence was very calming, and despite the brevity of their typical conversations, she definitely enjoyed the small moments they shared as seat mates. There was a word for it… _Comfortable silence._ That's what it was. She felt comfortable with Todoroki. He felt safe.

…Which again reinforced the obvious answer to the question she had been wrestling with on her way to class. _Should've just went with my first instinct._ She had to admit though, it had been oddly satisfying to analyze all the possibilities in the minutes before class.

Mr. Aizawa walked in as the bell rang, forcing Momo to refocus her thoughts on school. She put thoughts of the party aside, resolving to ask Todoroki about it at the end of the day.

* * *

(A/N: So remember how I posted last chapter that I wasn't up to date with the manga? Guess who binge read the entire thing yesterday... TwT

Let's just assume it was for research purposes since I do want to keep this as close to canon as possible.

 _Also, I realized I gave one of the OC's the surname Sato, totally forgetting that there is a Rikido Sato in Class 1-A. The last name has been changed to Seto to avoid any further confusion.)_


	3. An Interesting Invitation

The sun was low in the sky by the time the bell signaling the end of school rang. It painted the sky a brilliant orange that reminded Shouto of fire. Then again, lately everything reminded him of fire. He supposed it was likely influenced by the fact he had been dedicating a majority of his training to developing the fire quirk he had suppressed for so long. It still took some getting used to and he still felt a lot of resentment toward the man he called father, but being able to harness such power with his left side…well, it did instill a _bit_ of pride in him. _Just a bit_.

Shouto tore his eyes away from the window, carefully readjusting his book bag on his shoulder as he walked out the classroom door, yawning. He didn't want to admit it, but he was pretty winded from the last few days. Having tomorrow off would be a huge relief—he was ready for some much needed sleep before heading to the hospital to visit his mom. Shouto allowed himself a small smile—he was looking forward to telling her about the results of his exams. The anticipation made him feel like he was still five years old; a little boy eager to show his mom he could use his quirk to make ice cubes for her tea (which she liked hot, by the way). Such memories were rather bittersweet, but it was a reminder that his frequent visits now were to make up for all the time they had lost over the last ten years.

Tightening his grip on the strap of his bag and feeling a dull sense of pain, he was reminded that his forearms were still a bit sore from hanging midair by Aizawa's scarf during the aforementioned exam. And he had only been suspended up there for a few minutes—it was a good thing Yaoyorozu had showed up when she did. More importantly, he was thankful that they had passed their exam. Shouto was still in awe of how his classmate had masterminded such a complex plan to capture their homeroom teacher. While it had been a rather humbling experience for him, he was glad Mr. Aizawa had paired him up with her for the practical. She was a truly capable person and cooperative teammate, and yesterday had only reinforced his belief that he made the right choice in voting for her for class rep. _I wonder what things would have been like if she had been Class President instead of Iida…_ But that wasn't fair—Iida was doing a fine job leading. Still, there was a part of him that wanted to at least consider the thought…

"Hey Todoroki!"

 _Speaking of Yaoyorozu…_ Shouto stopped at the edge of the stairwell and turned around towards the sound of the familiar voice. He had already walked a ways from the classroom so she must have seen him leave and caught up to him. "Yaoyorozu—What's up?"

"You're not coming with us to the mall tomorrow?" She asked casually, walking alongside him as he continued down the stairs.

"No," He stated plainly. When she said nothing, he added, "I'm visiting my mom tomorrow."

He glanced over to her, wondering if she would inquire further. She looked like she wanted to say something, and Shouto half hoped—half-dared her to ask.

"I see," was all she responded, and he wasn't sure why he felt slightly disappointed. It seemed there was something on her mind, though, as she said nothing their entire descent to the first floor.

"It sounds like it'll be fun, though," he broke the silence first, hoping she'd voice whatever was on her mind. But based on the strange look Yaoyorozu was giving him… "The mall, I mean."

Her expression remained the same, save for a small quirk at the upper corner of her mouth. "Really? It…doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd enjoy, Todoroki."

The silence that followed felt almost comedic.

"You're…not wrong," he admitted quietly. There were few things he could think of that ranked lower on his list of priorities than a trip to the mall. He didn't care much for shopping or crowds. But visiting his mom wasn't just some excuse—he really had been planning on it even before the whole class trip to the mall had come up. That may have been the type of thing he would have done in the past, but lately he had felt more open to socializing with his classmates.

They approached their lockers by the front of the school. The area was emptier than usual. Shouto assumed that most students, equipped with the knowledge that exams were over and tomorrow was a holiday, had rushed out as soon as school ended. He walked over to his assigned space and crouched down to switch out his shoes. Yaoyorozu was a few lockers down the row from his.

"Are you doing anything next weekend?" She asked, suddenly.

"Don't think so," He mused, looking down to slip the heel of his shoe on and tapping the toe lightly on the ground for good measure. "I might be visiting my mom again on Saturday morning but that's about it." He looked up at her curiously. "Why?"

The sigh that followed was deeper than the sea.

Shouto flashed her a concerned look. She looked almost as anxious as she had in the days leading up to exams—but those were all over at this point. "Is everything ok?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it's just…" She trailed off, and he watched as she placing her hands on her well-defined hips and stared straight ahead. He took her pause to put on his other shoe— _seriously, how had Yaoyorozu managed to put on her shoes so fast?_ —and waited for her to continue.

Yaoyorozu sighed again, her eyes still trained on the wall in front of her. Shouto was glad when she finally refocused her eyes on his. "Sorry, I'm just trying to figure out the best way to phrase this. Basically…my parents throw this big fancy party every year…"

"Ah." Shouto had been vaguely aware that the Yaoyorozu family was well-off. More so as of late, since Sero and Kaminari had been raving about the Yaoyorozu estate following the study session she had hosted.

"…all their friends come, as well as their children…"

Shouto nodded slowly, wondering where he fit into all this. Yaoyorozu didn't usually talk too much about her life outside of school.

"…it's Saturday evening and I wanted to ask you if you'd like to come?"

His heart skipped a beat. _Oh._ He wasn't sure how to respond, but as the silence between them drew out longer, he racked his mind for an acceptable reply.

She continued before he had a chance to speak up. "I know it's a strange thing to ask, but my mother has requested I bring an escort, and since I trust you a lot…you were the first person I thought of."

Shouto's chest tightened at her words. _Trust._ To hear her verbalize such a thing…his pride was creeping up again.

Yaoyorozu's face had turned a dusty pink. "It—you—I'm doing this to make my parents happy," she stumbled. "My mom wants me to bring someone with me because—" Her face suddenly darkened.

"—all her friends' offspring are."

The look of disgust on her face coupled with her phrasing made Shouto cough amusedly. It seemed nice that she wanted to please her parents, though. He considered his own efforts to spite his father at every possible turn—her relationship with her parents seemed comparatively better, to say the least.

Apparently, she wasn't finished. "—Anyways, I just thought I'd tell you the situation so you know what you'd be getting yourself into. It's more or less a favor I'm asking of you." She shifted her weight to her other foot. "I realize it's a lot to process all at once, so you don't need to let me know right away, but—" leaned forward, Yaoyorozu bowed her head towards him. "I would be grateful if you could let me know as soon as possible."

"Sure, I can come." Shouto responded automatically, a bit surprised at his own willingness. He was glad when some of the tension in Yaoyorozu's stance loosened a bit.

"Oh, ok. Cool?" She looked like she didn't quite believe what he had said.

A thought flashed across Shouto's mind and he spoke up before he could think better of it. "Actually, it depends."

"On what?" The look of panic that crossed her face made him feel guilty. Slightly.

He gave her a very serious look. "Will there be soba?"

Shouto watched as Yaoyorozu softly repeated his words back to herself, before she leapt forward in an attempt to flick his forehead. He was grateful he had quick reflexes.

She laughed, shaking her head. _At least she seems more relaxed now_. "I can make sure there is soba _for you_ , Todoroki."

He couldn't help smiling in spite of himself. "Alright, I'm in then."

"Ok, great!" She replied. "I'll give you more details once the date gets closer, but people dress to the nines so…keep that in mind." Yaoyorozu laughed nervously.

Shouto nodded. He knew he had formal wear somewhere in his closet—Fuyumi had insisted on taking him to get fitted earlier in the year in anticipation of any "special occasions" that might come up—this seemed to qualify as one. "Sounds good. Enjoy the mall."

"Have a good time visiting your mother!" She waved good-bye as she briskly walked out the doors, assumably to catch up with Jirou since the two of them often left together after classes. He slowly walked out after her.

 _Yes._ He would definitely have a good time visiting his mom. As his mouth widened into a large yawn, though, he was reminded of his more immediate plans.

 _But before that…time to go home and sleep._

* * *

 _(A/N: Welp if you thought everything was going to be from Momo's perspective—surprise, surprise! I am less confident in my ability to write from Shouto's POV so this chapter was definitely harder._

 _There are a few more chapters until the party scene which I'm PUMPED for~I've already written most of that part, but it may take me a bit to fill in everything before we get to that point ^^; Will try to update soon~)_


	4. Info Shopping

"Hey Yaomomo, what do you think of this one?" Jirou looked over to her best friend, earphone jacks gesturing at a large purple and black duffle bag on the rack in front of her.

Momo smiled. "I think it suits you."

Jirou grinned back, carefully taking it off the rack to get a better look at it. Her face fell when she saw the price tag and she immediately put it back where she had found it.

"Haha…never mind."

Momo watched as her friend walked to the other end of the store where the section marked "SALE" was, and scurried over to the bag she had been eyeing, fumbling around for the price tag. Her eyes widened and she guiltily stepped away from the bag, tracing Jirou's path to the sale section.

 _I guess I never really realized…how fortunate I am._ The time she had spent with Class 1-A had made her increasingly aware of her family's wealth, and how extravagant her lifestyle was compared to the majority of her classmates. She would have bought the duffel bag Jirou had been eyeing in a heartbeat. Momo considered offering to buy the bag for her friend, but wasn't sure if that would come across as rude or embarrassing. _Her birthday *is* coming up soon…_

As for other things that were coming up even sooner…

Momo's thoughts jumped to the party that was fast approaching. She couldn't believe how relieved she had felt when Todoroki said he would come. While she was usually good about making contingency plans, this was one scenario where she hadn't thought things through as thoroughly as she'd liked. She had yet to inform her parents that she had invited someone, but there was no doubt her mother would be asking her about it soon. Momo imagined if she had failed to invite someone…

...well, she was lucky Setsu was with Tsumiko and the other Seto brothers were much too young.

…But then again, her parents knew a lot of people. Yaoyorozu shuddered at the thought of being paired off with the child of one of her father's random colleagues. Sure, she wasn't keen on the idea of her parents trying to set her up with one of the family friends, but a complete stranger—it sounded like something out of the historical romance novels she used to devour under the covers late at night.

Evidently running all these thoughts through her head by herself was going to drive her insane. She looked at Jirou, who seemed to have settled on a satisfactory black duffel bag.

"Hey, Jirou…"

The girl's earphone jacks perked up."Yeah, what's up?"

Momo swallowed, hesitating. "…Have your parents every tried to set you up with someone?"

Jirou stopped what she was doing and slowly turned around, a curious look on her face. "Wait, _what?_ Wow, Yaomomo, where is this coming from?" She smirked. "You're never one to bring up the topic of boys. That's something Mina would do if she were here."

Momo crossed her arms. "It's more so on the topic of parents than boys," she responded, pointedly.

"I'm just messing," Jirou responded, giving her friend a playful shove. "Let's see…my dad likes to tell everyone I'm not allowed to date until I'm married," Jirou mused, one finger tapping thoughtfully on her chin. "And that he will vet any boy I bring home."

"Ah…"

"He's just being an overprotective father," she smirked. "But to answer your question, no. I mean, my parents got together through circumstance and they've always encouraged me to forge my own path. It doesn't seem like something they'd do." She snickered. "Though that may change when I'm 40 and still single."

Momo rolled her eyes. "Jirou, I am positive you will meet someone before then." _In fact, I might already see a potential candidate..._

"Not if I can help it," she shot back, teasingly. Jirou paused momentarily before looking back at the vice president with a sly grin.

"…so who's the lucky guy?"

Momo's face turned bright red. She should've known that bringing up a topic like this would lead to uncomfortable follow-up questions. "What!?"

Jirou was evidently enjoying her flustered reaction. "Ah, you're right—scratch the 'lucky' part."

"Wow, ok," Momo responded in mock hurt, hoping that would be the end of the conversation.

"Is it anyone I'd know?"

 _No such luck_. Momo shook her head. She wrestled with the idea of telling Jirou everything—about the party, about how all the rich families would be there, about all her wealthy peers bringing dates, about inviting Todoroki…but she didn't. It was becoming more and more obvious to her that her classmates were not as well off as her family and she wanted to avoid drawing attention to the wealthy lifestyle she led as much as possible. She didn't want to seem like she was flaunting it around in front of them. "Nah…it's a family friend of my parents."

"A _good-looking_ family friend?"

Momo made a face. "I'd be a terrible judge of that." She never liked these kinds of questions. Whenever the girls all hung out, _someone_ —usually Mina—would bring up topics of a similar nature. She never knew how to respond.

She also never expected this kind of questioning from _Jirou_ of all people.

"Ehhh that's what you always say," Jirou grumbled as she slowly made her way over to the line for the cash register, Momo following after her. "C'mon, there has to be _someone_ you think is attractive."

She shrugged her shoulders. There wasn't anyone in particular she could think of. Even as far as the celebrity Pro Heroes went—All Might, Edgeshot, Kamui Woods—for her, it was their personality and charisma that made them attractive. Momo had never been one to look at outward appearances—she tended to pass judgements based on a person's character and abilities.

Jirou seemed to be pondering something. She looked at Momo pensively. "…Todoroki, maybe?"

"Hmmm…" The name of the boy made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Momo was aware that the other girls in 1-A— _ok, maybe just Mina and Hakagure_ —put him at the top of their "1-A's hottest guys" list, but she herself had never really thought much of it. In keeping with her usual assessment of people, she admired Todoroki for the strength of his character as well as his heroism and intellectual capability.

When she talked with Todoroki, though, she did find herself looking into his left eye often—no one else she knew had bright turquoise eyes. One could say the way his hair was evenly split between red and white was also aesthetically pleasing. And he was taller than her—she had always been somewhat self-conscious of her height when she was younger since most guys had been shorter than her then. _His smile, though._ She smiled a bit herself, thinking about it _. If he smiled more_ — "I guess so."

"Huh." Jirou was giving her a strange look. The girl opened her mouth to say something but stopped when the woman at a newly opened cashier waved her over. Momo herself walked towards the front of the store to move out of the way as she waited for Jirou to finish paying.

Her thoughts lingered on Todoroki. _He's probably visiting his mother around now…_ Momo found herself wondering what type of person Mrs. Todoroki was. Given Todoroki's outstanding academic and heroic abilities, was she strict like her own mother was? It occurred to her that despite the fact Endeavor was the No. 2 hero in the country, there was relatively little info released to the press about his personal and family life. She had wanted to ask Todoroki more when they had talked yesterday, but thought better of it—he seemed like a pretty private person. The fact he had said he was visiting his mother, though…Momo couldn't help wondering what that meant. Did his parents not live together? Were they divorced, maybe? And if so, why?

"Hey Yaomomo, you didn't need to get anything?" Jirou asked, swinging around her shopping bag as she approached her. Momo shook her head. In all honesty, she had decided to come with the rest of them to the mall just to hang out with her classmates—she had everything she needed at home. That, and she had never been to this particular mall before.

"Oh, ok," Jirou continued. "Then back to what we were talking about earlier—"

A sudden buzz from the phone in her pocket diverted Momo's attention. She reached for it automatically, relieved there was an excuse to avoid continuing their earlier conversation.

 _Uraraka: Everyone~Midoriya was approached by a villain in the main plaza. We don't know if there are others around. He's not injured or anything, but I called the police and mall security should be making an announcement soon. Please be careful and come back to our meeting spot as soon as possible!_

Momo's eyes widened at Uraraka's message in the class chat. _A villain? Here?_

She motioned Jirou over to look at the text and a similar expression came over her face. All thoughts of their previous conversation were overshadowed by the unnerving situation at hand. Momo looked wordlessly at Jirou, who nodded back.

The two of them rushed downstairs.

* * *

In terms of the timeline, I've more or less been basing stuff off of this post: r/BokuNoHeroAcademia/comments/8n8ihr/an_unofficial_timeline_update_12/

In which case there was maybe a week or two between the events at the mall and the start of training camp. That's when the next few chapters (and the party) take place~

Am currently debating how in depth I want to go w/ OC backstories~names/people will make more sense soon, hopefully s*cough* party chapter *cough* /s


	5. The Little Prince

Though he had been visiting his mom more frequently, Shouto still hadn't gotten use to the distinct smell of antiseptics that permeated every part of the hospital. At times he found it nauseatingly strong. The room his mother was in had a slightly more floral scent—while it didn't completely mask the overwhelming odor of chemicals, Shouto found it considerably more bearable.

He inhaled deeply once he had closed the door behind him. His mother was seated at the edge of the bed, staring out the window as she always did in the mornings when he came to visit.

"Good morning, Mom."

She turned slowly to face him, smiling up at her son. "It's good to see you again so soon, Shouto."

"Yeah." It was nice. Between the holiday last week and the start of summer break, he definitely had more free time. Of course, that freedom wasn't going to last all that long...so he had resolved to make the most of it while he could.

Shouto lowered his head, slipping the strap of his bag off as he walked over to the counter by the sink. "I brought you your favorite kind of tea."

His mom smiled and hummed in approval. "How thoughtful of you."

Given the…incident that had incited her stay there, she wasn't allowed a hot water heater in her room under any circumstances. Shouto unzipped his bag to take out the box of tea leaves and the metal thermos full of now lukewarm water, as well as two handmade ceramic tea cups from his mom's collection that was still at home. Technically he wasn't sure if he was allowed to bring any of the aforementioned items into the hospital—but he wasn't about to ask for permission. Shouto glanced over to his mother, who had returned her attention to the window. The sky was a brilliant blue today and the sun was high in the sky, its rays cascading through the glass pane and shining on her face. He assumed she enjoyed sitting there so much because it allowed her to bask in its warmth.

While she was preoccupied, he turned his attention back to the container of lukewarm water, placing his left hand on the steel surface. He was more sure of the fact he was _not_ allowed to be using his quirk to heat up water in the hospital—but that wasn't about to stop him.

Shouto smiled to himself as steam eventually began to rise from the surface of the water. He had gotten better at using the heat on his left side in moderation. Being able to produce such concentrated heat without bursting into flames had taken a lot of training and mind power. He hoped the upcoming training camp would enable him to refine his quirk even more.

Spooning out an appropriate amount of the dried leaves, he set the thermos back on the counter and waited for it to steep. It wasn't quite the same as the freshly brewed tea she used to make herself, but it would have to suffice. Of course, he could have walked to the cafeteria at the other end of the hospital and gotten hot water that way, but…well, maybe he was lazy and it felt nice to utilize his left side in a helpful capacity.

"How are you doing today, Mom?"

She shifted her gaze from the window to look at her son. "I'm doing well, I think. Fuyumi came to visit me yesterday after work so that was nice," her eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Have you talked to your sister recently, Shouto?"

"Mmm, here and there," he responded, not looking into her eyes. In truth, he spent most of the little time he was at home in his room. He more or less only spoke to his older sister when he happened to be in the living room when she arrived home, and around dinnertime to thank her for the food on the days she cooked. She had a tendency to try and make small talk with him when he did leave the safety of his room, which was minorly annoying.

"I see," she responded gently. She looked down at her hands which were folded gracefully in her lap. "Try to talk to her more if you can. Fuyumi really dotes on both you and Natsuo."

"Mmm." Shouto nodded as he turned back towards the counter, pouring tea into the two cups at his disposal. It was evident his sister was doing what she could to keep their family together. At the very least he supposed he could try not to undermine her efforts. Walking over to where his mom was sitting, he held one of the tea cups out to her. She thanked him as she took it from him with both hands, and he dragged a stool closer to sat down.

He watched as his mom held the cup close to her face and took in the gentle scent of jasmine and matcha, closing her eyes contentedly at the familiar scent. She took a slow sip of the hot liquid, and brought the cup down to her lap. "Tea truly warms the soul."

Shouto smiled, taking a sip of his own cup of tea. His mom—and the rest of his siblings, apparently—all had a penchant for tea. He himself typically preferred things cold, but he had to admit he had acquired a taste for his mom's favorite kind of tea. Maybe _because_ it was her favorite.

They talked for awhile as they drank their tea, something that had become habit over the many visits since the Sports Festival. Shouto asked her about her week and filled her in on what had happened in his own life since the last time he had visited. Updates on the mall incident he had heard about from his classmates, training at the U.A. swimming pool, Fuyumi testing out a new dish on him the other night that was of…questionable integrity, and about his thoughts on U.A. now that the first term was officially over.

Honestly, sometimes he surprised himself with how much he could talk during these visits.

"I'm glad you're doing well," she responded when an appropriate amount of silence had passed. She lovingly ruffled her son's hair and Shouto smiled, the gesture satisfying a strange sense of longing within him. From what he could remember, his mom had always been affectionate with him when he was younger, and Shouto was slowly realizing the lack of physical contact with others over the last ten years—aside from sparring—had made him starved for it now. His mom was probably the only person he felt comfortable being vulnerable with in this capacity, though. Perhaps that was another reason he felt compelled to visit as often as he did.

"You're still my little prince," she chuckled, reminding him of the fairytale picture books she used to read to him. She removed her hand from his head and her gaze traveled elsewhere as she seemed to remember something. "The party with your classmate Yaoyorozu…" she said softly. "That's tonight isn't it?"

Shouto nodded. His mom seemed to enjoy hearing him talk about his classmates—Yaoyorozu, especially. She had been coming up more frequently in their recent conversations, but it was only natural—between the practical exam and the party invitation, as well as the fact they were seatmates, he was often associated with the vice president by circumstance.

A nostalgic smile washed over his mom's face. She looked out the window, wistfully. "I remember attending a few of those, way back when," she smiled sadly, closing her eyes briefly. She proceeded to look down into her cup, drowning in her reflection. "…He never really enjoyed them much."

Shouto felt his base temperature rise and did his best to hide his displeasure. He knew who she was referring to. While he had accepted his father as a hero, hearing his mom bring him up, and knowing what Endeavor had done to her—he still hadn't forgiven him for that.

She looked back up at him. "I do hope you enjoy yourself tonight."

He nodded, pushing thoughts of his father out of his mind. "I think I will." He still didn't have much of an idea of what the party would be like, but the fact he was going with Yaoyorozu brought him a strange sense of peace. It was fairly similar to how he felt now, sitting in the cool air of the hospital room with his mom. While the setting wasn't preferable, Shouto found that as long as he enjoyed the company of the person he was with, the rest didn't really matter all that much to him. And for whatever reason, Yaoyorozu had become someone whose presence he enjoyed. Socializing with others typically felt draining, but she didn't have that same effect on him.

"Hey Shouto…" His mom gave him a concerned look, glancing up at the wall behind him. "Don't you have to leave soon?"

"Sorry, I guess I lost track of the time," he said, turning around to look at the clock. He still had enough time to go home and get ready before the party, but he'd have to be a bit more careful at home to avoid being seen by Fuyumi—or worse, Endeavor.

"Ahh—you should probably get going, then. Never keep a lady waiting," the woman teased her son gently. Her eyes widened as Shouto looked back at her aghast and she realized the implication of her words. "Ah, I didn't mean—"

"You waited for 10 years, Mom."

She shook her head, smiling up at him. "We already talked about this. All is forgiven for both of us, right? I'm just glad I get to see you as you are now."

He nodded in agreement as he stood up. It occurred to him that maybe he should hug his mom before he left, but he still felt awkward initiating physical affection. "I'm glad I have time to come visit you as much as I do, Mom. I'll try to drop by again before I leave for training camp."

He started inching towards the door when her voice stopped him.

"Aren't you going to give me a hug?"

Well, if _she_ was going to initiate it…

He walked the few steps over to her—even as she stood, he was considerably taller than her now—and gingerly wrapped his arms around his mother, the coolness of her touch overwhelmingly soothing.

All of this was still felt rather new to him, but regardless—he loved visits with his mom. Amidst all the chaos of the world and his life that was forcing him to grow up too fast for a fifteen-year-old, it was in the respite of his mom's arms he could just be a child—her son, her little prince and hero.

In those moments, that was more than enough for him.

"Bye, Mom. I'll come visit you again soon."

* * *

 _A/N: …Gotta have some familial affection before romantic affection, amirite? =P_

 _And yes, this chapter's title is 100% a direct reference to The Little Prince. Also because I think Prince Todoroki from the fantasy AU ending is the cutest w_

 _Next chapter is a pre-party snippet for Momo and then the fun begins. ***Todomomo interaction intensifies***_

 _Thanks everyone for reading! I've been really encouraged by all the support =)_


	6. Saved by the Bell

While the party itself would be bearable at least, Momo always disliked the 24 hour time window preceding these types of events. As the clock ticked down, her mother would grow increasingly stressed and agitated that things were not absolutely perfect by the time the guests arrived. Her father, whom she rarely saw at home as it was, was absent and likely wouldn't make an appearance until shortly before people started showing up. However, since Momo usually happened to be home, she was almost always swept into her mother's frenzy.

For example, the woman had insisted she clean her already immaculate room despite the fact no guests were going to be upstairs anyway, _and_ they had already hired professionals to deep cleanse the house the night before. Momo had done a quick sweep of the floor to appease her but wasn't sure what else she could do to make her already spotless room any cleaner. She was already in the habit of setting her bed and putting things back where they belonged. The only part of her room that could be deemed "messy" was the large desk she was currently sitting at, which was piled high with books on various chemical formulas and object composition. She was using them to study up on stuff before training camp started.

"Momo, can you call the pastry chef for me? He should have been here 2 minutes ago." Her mother's voice echoed in the hallway as she briskly walked past her bedroom door.

"Yes, Mother…" Momo responded absent-mindedly, flipping to the next page of the book she was currently reading. _If he isn't here in 3 more minutes…_ While it was rude to be late, Momo thought the guy deserved some grace given the magnitude of the order her mother had placed. That, and she was in the middle of studying something new and was _this_ _close_ to having a breakthrough.

She heard her door creak open more and knew what that meant. "Momo? _Now_."

"Ok, ok." Momo shut her book and turned towards the door, but her mother had already left to take care of some other task. She sighed, resolving to just do as her mother asked. This week in particular, she had been on her best behavior in hopes of staying on her mother's good side. Since her parents would be going to Venice for two weeks and Jirou's birthday _just so happened_ to be during that time frame, Momo had been plotting in the back of her mind to host Jirou for her birthday—maybe even invite her to sleep overnight if her parents were willing. She was bummed about not being able to go to Europe with them, but at least she could make the most of her time at home while they were gone.

Reaching for her phone, she looked through her contacts to find the name of the renown pastry chef. _Mr._ _Amai…should be at the top…_ It briefly occurred to her that maybe it wasn't normal to have the cell number of a pastry chef at such easy access, but who else was she going to call when she had a particular craving for macarons or something?

The doorbell rang just then, and Momo heard her mother walk over to the front door. It was Mr. Amai, the pastry chef. She smiled in relief, putting her phone back on the table. The girl didn't particularly enjoy having to make phone calls unless it was absolutely necessary, so his timely arrival had saved her some trouble. She imagined her mother was about to give him an earful right about now about her expectations for tonight's desserts.

Momo leaned back in her chair, stretching out her arms. She had to hand it to her mother—the woman knew how to throw a party. Her perfectionism stemmed out of her desire to ensure all the guests had a good time (but also to show off—that was definitely still a part of it). Either way, there was a reason the Yaoyorozu household always hosted these events—her mother was quite fond of them in spite of her preceding agitation and stress, and they were always successful. Growing up, Momo had always admired her mother's hospitality and charisma when it came to other people. She had learned to be a good host from her mother, but as for people skills—well, she wished she had that same presence her mother did. The elder Yaoyorozu woman had an air of confidence with others that Momo still didn't quite have. It was easier with Class 1-A since she was comfortable with them now, but when it came to strangers and meeting new people—such encounters still gave her a strange sense of anxiety.

She had just flipped her book back open when she heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. _That was fast._ The footsteps stopped by her door.

"Hey Momo, can you—"

Momo was confused when she trailed off. She turned around to find her mother with her hands on her hips.

"Eh, you're wearing _that?"_

She was looking disapprovingly at the dress that Momo had set out atop her bedspread. Momo blinked, following her mom's gaze to the black garment. She didn't see what the issue was. The dress had a sweetheart bodice decorated with a few well-placed obsidian jewels and a mesh top that covered most of her skin. The a-line skirt had simple pleats that flared out nicely. And best of all, _it had pockets_. "Yeah?"

Her mother was already making her way to the closet. "Honey, you look like you're planning to attend a funeral."

While the outfit was black, she couldn't imagine why anyone would choose to wear something so fancy to a funeral. She avoided voicing that opinion to her mother, though.

The woman reappeared a minute later with a different ensemble from her closet; this one decidedly more…attention grabbing than what Momo had picked out. She dropped it over the other dress, glancing down disdainfully at the shoes her daughter had set out. "Don't wear those—I have the perfect pair of heels for you in my closet."

"Oh, ok." Momo watched as she walked briskly out the door and glanced back over to her choice of shoes. They were a simple black design but the important part was that they were comfortable enough to wear for an entire night of standing. She sighed. Momo valued utility and comfort above all else when it came to these functions but evidently she wasn't going to have that freedom this time around.

She glanced at the clock on her desk. It was probably a good idea to start getting ready. Grabbing the dress her mother had laid out on the bed, she disappeared into the bathroom to put it on.

* * *

Momo had just finished putting on the finishing touches of makeup when her mother's reflection appeared in the mirror. She hardly looked like the irritated woman who had walked into her room earlier. Now dressed in a long gown, an air of elegance and poise in the way she carried herself in those dangerously high heels—she was absolutely stunning. Momo looked back at her own reflection in the mirror. Her attempts at doing her own makeup looked amateur in comparison—she hoped she looked half as put together as her mother currently did.

"Here—let me help you with your hair," she said. Momo handed her mother the iron, clasping her hands patiently in front of her. She watched as her mother carefully twisted long strands of her hair into the device, forming perfect waves from years of practice.

"Make sure you make time to talk to Tetsuya Seto," she commanded as she continued combing and ironing waves into her daughter's hair. "And the rest of the people your age. I'm glad you invited one of your classmates to come, but remember— _networking is always important."_

"Of course," she sighed. Momo had refrained from telling her exactly who she had invited, and surprisingly the woman hadn't bothered to ask further. Momo imagined she had been concerned about more pressing matters—aka the party and all the planning that needed to be done for it—and details regarding her daughter's life had fallen lower on her list of priorities.

"People should be arriving any minute now," her mother continued, giving her daughter's newly waved hair a flounce. "So come down when you hear the doorbell ring, okay?" She smiled at their reflection in the mirror, giving Momo a quick squeeze on both of her shoulders. "You look beautiful, dear."

She beamed back. "Thanks, Mother." The woman was already walking out of the room, her heels clicking on the marble floor. Momo stood up and walked barefoot over to her window, which overlooked the front of the house. A car was just turning in through their front gate—the first of many people who would be arriving all too soon.

Momo closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she attempted to steel herself for the upcoming night. She was glad the Takasu and Minamoto families had confirmed they were coming. Of the people her age who typically attended, Mimi and Hiro had always been the easiest for her to talk to. She supposed it was natural given they had similarly bubbly personalities and were overall pretty down to earth. It had been awhile since she had heard from either of them, though. Hiro had been abroad for the past year so there wasn't much of a surprise there. She recalled her mother mentioning he was bringing along a girl, though…part of her wondered if he had changed a lot as a result of his time away from home. Would it be for the better or worse? Had Mimi talked to him while he was away? The thought of the girl filled her with a strange wave of emotion— _sympathy, maybe?_ She made a mental note to try and reach out to Mimi more, especially given the recent turn of events.

And of course, Todoroki would be coming. _Thank goodness_. At least there would be someone more familiar than the people she saw approximately once a year. He had texted her about an hour ago apologizing because he was running a bit late. She didn't ask why, but chalked it up to him visiting his mother. That and given the nature of this party, he probably still had to make some effort to get dressed up and everything—that would take some time.

An image of Todoroki suddenly flashed across Momo's mind—dressed in a well-fitted black suit, red and white hair slicked back, his mouth playing at a smile. Her heart fluttered, and she quickly tried to dispel the thought though the voice in the back of her head begged to let it linger a bit longer. Where did _that_ come from? Her mind traced back to the conversation she had had with Jirou earlier in the week. _Was this what it was like? To think that someone was attractive?_

The chime of the doorbell saved Momo from her thoughts, and she hurried downstairs to greet their first guests.

* * *

 _A/N: One of my favorite parts of writing characters is coming up with names. Subtlety is an art that I don't know if I've mastered quite yet, though._ _(Amai = Japanese for "Sweet")_

 _Aaaaand next chapter's the party! Thanks everyone for reading this far =D_


	7. Two's Company Part I

While Shouto had agreed to accompany Yaoyorozu's party…the weight of his decision didn't hit him until he was standing on the doorstep of their estate. Yaoyorozu had mentioned to let the attendant at the door know who he was and to wait for her to meet him at the front.

The tall and ornately carved doors were somewhat intimidating. It also began to occur to Shouto that while he wouldn't be familiar with most of the people there…given the U.A. Sports Festival…coupled with Endeavor's reputation…most if not all of the guests would know _him_.

He was starting to get cold feet when Yaoyorozu appeared at the door, smiling warmly and reminding him why he had decided to come. "Ah, Todoroki, you're here!"

 _Since I trust you a lot…you were the first person I thought of…_ The party seemed important to her and as a friend, he was happy to help. "Thanks for inviting me, Yaoyorozu."

"No, no, I should be thanking you for coming," she countered. "Come in, come in."

He complied, stepping through the giant doors onto the intricately-patterned marble floor. The first thing that caught his eye was the spiral staircase leading up to the second floor. It brought his attention to the high ceiling and the multi-tiered crystal chandelier that hung from it.

Alright, so maybe a small part of him had also wanted to come and see what the hype was since Sero and Kaminari wouldn't shut up about it. "Your house is really nice."

Yaoyorozu herself…it was a bit dark outside so Shouto hadn't noticed before, but the brightly-lit foyer illuminated the tops of her shoulders, creating a stark contrast between her porcelain skin and the one-shoulder burgundy dress she was wearing. As she shifted her weight to one side, he noticed the dress also had a high slit that showed off her leg and allowed the light to bounce off one crystal-studded heel. _Ah._ He brought his attention back to her face. _That would explain why we're eye level today._ Yaoyorozu's eyes also looked a lot bigger—due to the elaborate make up she was wearing, he assumed. Her hair was out of its usual updo and cascaded in waves down her back. "You look nice."

"Ah, thanks, you look nice, too," Yaoyorozu gushed. "The guests are in the study and dining hall—I'll show you the way."

Shoto took a passing glance at the rest of the house as he followed Yaoyorozu to the back. It seemed like her parents had furnished the place with Western influences in mind. He considered the contrast to his own family's home. While the Todoroki family was also well-off, their property retained a more traditional Japanese style. It felt more comfortable—more homey to him. Yaoyorozu's house felt like a castle.

He almost crashed into Yaoyorozu who had stopped suddenly in front of him. She turned to look at him, pausing before she asked, "Is it ok if we link arms?"

Shoto blinked. He never really went to these kind of things, was that normal? "Yeah, that's…fine." His left side grew warmer as she careful looped her right arm through his, and he quickly focused on balancing out the temperature with his right. He wasn't used to this—physical contact— _especially not with a—_

"Thanks." Another deep sigh, before she muttered, "I apologize in advance for dragging you into this."

He wasn't sure how to respond to that. Though on second thought, maybe she had been talking more to herself than him. The two of them walked side-by-side through the room of people. Shouto noticed a few people glance at them out of the corner of his eye, and he looked straight ahead, choosing instead to focus on the sensation of Yaoyorozu's arm around his and the indistinguishable clamor of voices around him to distract himself. She slowly guided them to a circle of people who were by the couch.

"There you are! We were wondering where you went." The voice belonged to a slender girl in a pink dress, her blonde hair in perfect spirals. She looked to be about the same age as them. As she moved aside to widen the circle so the two of them could join, Shouto noted that everyone else there seemed to be around their age as well.

"Oh—ah, I just went to go get—" Yaoyorozu responded, releasing Shouto's arm as she gesturing to him. "Everyone, this is Shouto Todoroki. He's...a friend from school."

There was a pause as all eyes turned to him. Shouto was never one to get stage fright but the sudden attention was…overwhelming. He could see the wheels turning in each of their heads as they pieced together exactly who he was.

The blonde girl from earlier broke the silence, a wide smile on her face. "Hi Todoroki! I'm Mirai Minamoto—you can just call me Mimi, though!"

"Shion Kaneshiro." The girl with a short bob of brown hair and dressed in all black waved from her seat on the couch.

The guy with neatly trimmed hair sitting on the other end of the couch cleared his throat, shifting Shouto's attention to him. A girl with pin-straight black hair was seated on the arm of the couch, clinging onto his arm and shoulder closely. Shouto couldn't imagine it was comfortable to sit like that.

The guy adjusted his thick-rimmed glasses before speaking. "I'm Tetsuya Seto."

"Wow, _Momo_ , you're aiming pretty high, huh?" The girl leaning on him smirked, her eyes darting to Shouto. She had said it under her breath but it was still loud enough for everyone to hear. Shouto glanced over at Yaoyorozu, whose mouth had become a tight line.

"Tsumiko, where are your manners?" The taller man to his left chided. Shouto assumed they were siblings based on their similar facial features and jet-black hair. "Shouto Todoroki, right? A pleasure to meet the famous Endeavor's son. I'm Kioshi Kuroshima." He bowed his head slightly and Shouto returned the gesture, trying to hide his displeasure at being mentioned in conjunction with his father. "Nice to meet you." He turned to the rest of the group. "Nice to meet all of you," he added.

"Where's Hiro?" Yaoyorozu asked the blonde girl— _Mimi_ —who seemed somewhat removed from the conversation.

"He ended up not showing up," Shion butted in before the girl could get a word out. "I heard all the parents were hoping to find out about this _amazing_ girl he met—they're going to be soooo disappointed."

The tall guy—Kuroshima—grimaced in agreement. "Yeah, it's pretty rude to last-minute decide to ditch." His mouth turned up into a devilish grin as he turned to Yaoyorozu. "Think the Takasus will be invited back, Momo?"

Yaoyorozu chuckled nervously. "Ehhhh, maybe he's just late?"

"Nahh, I heard from Mother he's, like, actually not coming. He flat out refused to," Shion continued, laughing derisively. "Doesn't he know how badly that reflects on them?"

"He probably had good reason not to," Mimi piped up weakly. It appeared to Shouto that she did not like the derogatory nature of the conversation. Yaoyorozu was also speaking with a higher than usual pitch, her nervousness and distaste for the situation revealing itself in her voice. Shouto realized he himself had contributed effectively nothing to the conversation—granted he didn't really know any of these people—and was thinking about whether or not to speak up when a presence appeared behind him.

"It's so good to see all the young people getting along," the voice said. He turned to see a woman who looked like an older version of Yaoyorozu, but had a decidedly different air about her. The woman stared at him curiously.

"Ah, mother, this is my classmate, Shouto Todoroki," Yaoyorozu piped up nervously.

"Hmmm…Shouto Todoroki…the famed son of Endeavor?" She said slowly. Her eyes seemed to be burning holes through him. "You performed admirably at the U.A. Sports Festival."

 _There it was again._ He tried to keep his expression neutral. A smile would probably be appropriate. "Thank you, Mrs. Yaoyorozu."

"Well, it's good to meet you," she said politely, her smile reminding Shouto of a crocodile's. She looked up to address the rest of the group. "Kids, be sure to enjoy the party! We have a lot of food left so make sure you're getting enough. Seconds, thirds, you know how it goes—."

Shouto tried not to think much of his first impression of Yaoyorozu's mother. He had a slight moment of panic when he realized Yaoyorozu herself was no longer beside him. Looking behind him into the crowd—it appeared she had been whisked away by her mother, who had her arm around her daughter's shoulder and was saying something into her ear.

"Is this your first time at the Yaoyorozu household, Todoroki?" The girl Mimi asked, noticing his gaze. That also seemed like an odd question, given he had literally just introduced himself to Yaoyorozu's mother. Wasn't that an indication he was a first-time guest? "Yeah," he replied simply.

She smiled back. "Well, you're in good hands. The Yaoyorozus are amazing hosts. You should definitely go try some of the food if you haven't already."

"Seriously, though," The guy Kuroshima whispered from the other side of him. "There's still _so much food left."_

"Wonder what they plan to do with all the food we don't finish," Shion mused, evidently eavesdropping on their side conversation. "Mr. and Mrs. Yaoyorozu are heading to Venice for the next week or two, from what I heard."

"Ah, you don't say," Kuroshima's eyebrows perked up. "So the Yaoyorozus will all be out of town, then?"

Shouto debated whether it was worth mentioning the younger Yaoyorozu would most likely be home—they were all required to since U.A. had requested they not leave on any long trips—but the group had already switched to another conversation topic that he didn't particularly care about (something about some quarterly report of some big security company-or-other).

He took the opportunity to look around at the many people in the room. There were a few that looked vaguely familiar—perhaps he had crossed paths with them at some point when he was working at his father's agency. He imagined most of the Yaoyorozu's guests were involved in various businesses outside of hero work. At least, that was the impression he had gotten given the current discussion happening amongst the people his age.

As he continued to observe the sea of people around him, Shouto made eye contact with a man who seemed to be saying something to the guy next to him. He quickly looked away when he realized the young half and half hero had caught him staring.

"Why isn't Endeavor invited to these parties, anyways?" he heard Mimi ask the group earnestly as he continued to let his eyes wander around the room. "I'm surprised we haven't seen the Todoroki family at one of these, actually."

The girl with pin-straight hair scoffed. "That's easy—no one here really likes him."

"Tsumiko!" Her brother scolded sharply, shaking his head. "I bet he was invited, he just thinks these kind of things are beneath him."

Shouto's attention shifted back to the group of teens. Were they not aware he was standing right there, listening? While he wasn't particularly fond of his father, hearing all this from other people…it did bother him. Shouto considered saying something in defense of his old man, but couldn't think of anything. His mouth remained effectively shut as they continued their tirade.

"I hear he's not the most sociable person, you know," Shion added matter-of-factly. "My mother says all her journalist friends absolutely hate doing interviews with him. The guy completely lacks the charisma most of the other professionals have."

"Not sociable, huh?" Tetsuya Seto looked straight at Shouto. "…It would seem his son takes after him in that regard."

The boy felt his face heat up. He was nothing like Endeavor—at least he had made the effort to show up to this social event. _Who does this guy think he is?_ Shouto sized him up, wondering what his quirk was. Not that it mattered. He was certain he was stronger either way. His eyebrows furrowed as he glared right back at the boy in glasses.

"Tetsuya Seto, was it? You—" He finally opened his mouth to shoot back a nasty retort when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Yaoyorozu's face appeared next to his, eyes narrowed.

"If you want to be invited back again I suggest you all apologize to Todoroki immediately and keep your mouths shut for the rest of the party."

It occurred to Shouto he had never heard Yaoyorozu sound so upset before. Angry, even.

The one called Tsumiko spoke up. "Geez Momo, you need to chill…we're just making small talk. It's all hearsay, anyway."

"Please don't call me Momo." Yaoyorozu's expression hadn't changed, and upon closer observation, he realized the girl was shaking. "Let's get out of here," she muttered. He nodded in agreement.

He hadn't expected her to grab his arm as a way of maneuvering him towards the ornate doors on the side of the room. His Fire quirk flared up unconsciously and he found himself again channeled his Ice quirk to bring himself back to a normal temperature.

* * *

 _A/N: Cliffhanger (ish) because this party chapter ended up being way longer than I expected. The way I have things planned, each event was supposed to be a chapter that sticks with either Momo or Shouto's perspective, so this one will be 2 (maybe even 3?) parts long._

 _Also, here are the OCs so far:_

 _Mirai "Mimi" Minamoto (16)_

 _Shion Kaneshiro (17)_

 _Tetsuya Seto (17)_

 _Katsumi "Tsumiko" Kuroshima (15)_

 _Kioshi Kuroshima (18)_

 _Hiroto "Hiro" Takasu (16)_

 _I considered listing out their Quirks, but where's the fun in that? =P All will be revealed, eventually~_

 _For those of you who celebrated it, Happy Thanksgiving! I'm super grateful for y'all for taking the time to read my fic! =)_


	8. Two's Company Part II

Yaoyorozu led them up the spiral staircase to the first door on the right, shutting the door behind them. She let out another deep sigh— _how many sighs had that been, tonight?_ —and marched over to the large window seat on the opposite end of the room.

Shouto had been so disoriented by the quick turn of events it took him a second to realize where he was. Judging from the regal looking queen-sized bed, along with the large desk piled with books that seemed organized into color-coded piles and— _were those Yaoyorozu's signature matryoshka dolls lining the top of the bookshelf?_ —this was most definitely—

"Uh, Yaoyorozu…why did you bring me—"

His thoughts were interrupted by something warm and furry rubbing itself against his left leg. He looked down and his eyes widened.

"Wait, you have a _cat?"_

He was already crouching down to pet the creature's calico fur. Shouto didn't even realize he was smiling until Yaoyorozu giggled at his enthusiasm. "Wow Todoroki, I didn't know you were such a cat person." She seemed to hum in delight.

"Yeah…they're…cute I guess," He mumbled sheepishly. "I was never allowed to have pets at home, though."

"Ahh," she said, looking downcast. He couldn't tell if it was pity or something else. "I had to beg my parents to let me keep her. She's stuck upstairs right now since Mother didn't want her wandering around while the guests are here. Supposedly certain people here are severely allergic to cats."

"Huh," he responded absentmindedly, too busy running his fingers along the fur on the creature's spine. _It was so soft._ "What's her name?"

"Wellllll," Yaoyorozu responded. It was her turn to feel sheepish. "I named her when I was a kid, so it's not the most creative name…"

"Neko?" He said the first thing that came to his mind.

She made a face. "No, we got her when I was going through a princess phase so…it's Hime*."

The silence extended a bit too long. He cleared his throat. "It's…not terrible."

She coughed, half-smiling as she climbed up onto the seat cushion, turning her attention back to the window. "Thanks for trying to be polite."

Shouto stood up. Hime followed him as he walked across the room towards Yaoyorozu. She continued fiddling with the window, and after a moment it flung open, letting in the fresh air from outside.

"Ah, much better," she smirked, putting her hands on her hips. He watched as Yaoyorozu stepped back down and crouched down to pick up Hime, who had plopped down by his feet and was looking up at him expectantly. She meowed as Yaoyorozu lifted her off the ground, cradling the ball of fur in her arms.

"Hime, this is Prince Todoroki," she said in a sing-songy voice, holding the feline closer to him. Shouto wasn't sure what he was more amused by—the fact Yaoyorozu spoke to her cat in baby-talk or that she had just referred to him as "Prince Todoroki".

Hime just meowed in response.

"Here, Todoroki—do you want to hold her?" Yaoyorozu looked at him earnestly, switching back to her usual tone of voice. He realized she must've kicked off her heels at some point since they were back to their usual height difference.

She looked considerably more relaxed than the girl who had dragged him upstairs to escape the party. Such was the therapeutic nature of cats, he thought, nodding in response to her question. "Yeah, sure."

Shouto gingerly took Hime from Yaoyorozu's arms, being careful not to drop her—he never did understand how cats managed to contort their body like _that_ — and sat down on the window seat. Yaoyorozu chuckled gently as Hime mewed and attempted to shift herself towards the left side of his body. No wonder Yaoyorozu's cat liked him so much—he was essentially a life-sized heating pad. Well, half of one. Shouto scratched Hime between her ears, and she closed her eyes, purring contentedly.

"Hey…"

Yaoyorozu's voice broke the silence between them. He looked at her questioningly. She was looking down at her hands, fingers loosely intertwined. It was obvious to him there was something weighing on her mind that she was hesitant to say.

She cleared her throat, not looking at him. "I just wanted to make it clear that…I didn't ask you to come because you're Endeavor's son."

"Oh." He felt kind of hurt that she thought he would think that of her. He respected her too much for that. "I wouldn't have assumed that was the reason."

She sighed, again. "Maybe not. But that's probably what everyone else thinks. And it's exactly the sort of thing Mother would want…" She continued, muttering more to herself.

"Yaoyorozu?" The girl was looking genuinely upset again, and he wasn't entirely sure why.

She shook her head. "Sorry. It's just—my parents and their friends…they have a tendency to compare us—their children. In the past it's been quirks, academics, extracurriculars, but now…" She rubbed the back of her neck, her face downcast. "Well, like I mentioned before—my mother insisted I invite someone because everyone else conveniently paired off in time for this party." Her shoulders sank. "I guess it's the next game of comparison they intend to play."

"Ah." Shouto said, unsure of how else to respond. He had counted an odd number of people in their circle downstairs. Perhaps there was someone he hadn't met? Either way, he could sense that Yaoyorozu was frustrated with what had occurred—maybe she just needed someone to hear her out. Unfortunately, Shouto wasn't the best at comforting people—but for her sake, he'd try. "I'm…sorry you have to deal with that."

Yaoyorozu sighed again. "I thought quirk marriages were a thing of the past, yet here we are. Mother always hoped I would end up with one of her friends' children. We've barely started high school and she's already thinking ahead." She swallowed. "Sometimes I can't help feeling like I'm just her pawn, or something."

Shouto nodded in agreement, unconsciously. He could empathize with her on that—he knew the feeling all too well.

She suddenly seemed to realize she'd been talking a lot. "Anyways, sorry—I don't mean to burden you with all this," she said, clearing her throat. "It's a lot of unnecessary drama that doesn't really concern you."

"No, it's fine." He responded. It was his turn to sigh deeply. "Every family has their own issues," he replied, more to himself than to her. He looked over to the girl next to him and saw her looking back at him curiously. He hesitated. Rarely did he ever bring up the issues within his own family to anyone. The only other person he had told was Midoriya. And somehow, with her…

"I'm more than familiar with the concept of quirk marriages. My father…he married my mother for her quirk," he admitted under his breath. He held Hime closer to his chest for comfort, awaiting her response.

"Oh," she replied, quietly. She seemed to choose her next words carefully. "…How did that work out?"

 _Terrible_ , he wanted to say. He thought of his Mom, who'd been in the hospital for the last ten years, and his resentment towards his father for what he had done to their family. Of his elder sister Fuyumi's attempts to keep their semblance of a family together and Natsuo who'd left for college because he didn't want to be home. And their eldest brother, _Touya…_

"It..could've been worse." As comfortable as he felt around the girl next to him, Shouto didn't want to burden her with his own family issues. It sounded like Yaoyorozu already had a lot to deal with on her end.

"I see…" She seemed to be musing upon his words. "It seemed…like a fairly common thing among wealthier families. My parents never really told me if their marriage was a quirk marriage. They work well together—both of them are very business-minded. I think they were in love at some point, though…" Her shoulders sagged a little bit lower. "Who knows what the real reason was."

He was surprised when she looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "Thank you for sharing with me about your family, though, Todoroki. I imagine it's not something you like to bring up."

Shouto averted his eyes, focusing on the cat that was still curled up on his lap. Hime probably appreciated the small surge of heat that had just coursed through his left side. "I'm…glad you know now."

He was contemplating whether he wanted to say more when there was a loud knock on the door. They both jumped at the sound. Yaoyorozu quickly stood up to get it.

It was Mimi from earlier.

"Hey Momo, are you ok? It sucks what—"

Her eyes widened as she put a hand on her friend's shoulder, and grew even wider when she noticed Shouto sitting by the window. It took her a few seconds to regain her composure.

"Ah, Todoroki!" She stammered, embarrassed. Mirai turned towards him and gave an apologetic bow. "I'm sorry for bringing up Endeavor during the conversation earlier—it was an honest question and I didn't think they would go so far…"

Shouto shook his head. "Don't worry about it." While she may have sparked the conversation downstairs, it seemed Yaoyorozu was closer to Mimi than anyone else he had met and he felt inclined to trust her as well. _Although_ …the girl was looking at him wide-eyed at the moment, and it felt as if she could see right through him. It was a bit unnerving.

Her gaze snapped away when Yaoyorozu spoke up. "We should probably head back down. Mother might be concerned if she doesn't see me downstairs." She turned towards him. "Todoroki, are you hungry at all?"

His stomach growled, betraying him. Hime perked her ears up suspiciously. Yaoyorozu and Mimi both laughed and he felt his face heat up. "Maybe."

Yaoyorozu motioned him to come over. "Let's head down to the dining area then. I asked the chef ahead of time if he could whip up a batch of soba just for you." She smiled, then added, "though once you see what else they prepared, I'm not sure you'll want to settle for just soba."

 _Oh I highly doubt that,_ Shouto thought. He was very much a creature of habit. It was very thoughtful of Yaoyorozu to go out of her way to make sure there was soba, though. Setting down Hime, he followed the two of them downstairs.

* * *

 _Neko = "Cat" and Hime = "Princess" in Japanese. Was debating between using the English/Japanese variant but since I've been using Japanese names so far I'm sticking with it. It just makes the Princess/Prince dichotomy a little less obvious than I'd like but ah well._

 _This chapter still ended up being too long so it has been extended yet again. Also, it appears won't let me make this chapter 7.5 or 7.2 or something? I was really looking forward to using a Kingdom Hearts-level numbering system... =P_

 _Also, since I can't respond to guest reviews: Tvmatchmaker785 Pockets in dresses are life and I will do my best! I currently have this loosely plotted out up to manga canon and try to keep some buffer between chapters so I can update consistently. So far it's worked out pretty well. Thank you for taking the time to read this fic! Glad you're enjoying it =)_


	9. Two's Company Part III

It was pretty late already, and it seemed that most of the guests had eaten and adjourned to the sitting area or were hovering around the dessert table in the corner of the living room. A few seemed like they were planning on leaving. Upon reappearing downstairs, Mimi was immediately stopped by a rather short and slightly overweight man who looked old enough to be her father.

"Mimi, there you are! Your mother and I were just saying we thought we saw you downstairs a minute ago." The man's voice projected far and commanded quite a presence.

Ah, so he _was_ her father. Looking closer, Shouto supposed he could see the resemblance. They both had rather short statures and the same white-blonde hair and large, friendly-looking eyes.

The jovial old man turned towards Yaoyorozu. "Momo, my dear! It has been quite awhile, hasn't it? How are you doing?"

"It's good to see you, Mr. Minamoto," she said, smiling. "I'm glad your whole family was able to make it this year."

"As am I, as am I," he chuckled. "Unfortunately we do have to head out soon but I'm glad we could at least stop by."

His eyes twinkled as they shifted to Shouto. "Aaaaaand who is _this_ handsome young man, hmmm?"

"Oh, right—this is a friend of mine from U.A.—Shouto Todoroki." Following Yaoyorozu's introduction, Shouto gave a slight bow. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Minamoto."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well!" he grinned back. Something about the man reminded Shouto vaguely of someone he knew… _ah, All Might, perhaps? He gives off a similar energy…_ he watched as Mr. Minamoto gave his daughter a loving clap on the shoulder. "See, Mirai? These two met at school—I'm sure one of these days you'll find someone, too!"

 _"Dad."_ Mimi had turned bright red. On closer inspection, Yaoyorozu seemed a bit flustered herself. Mr. Minamoto laughed.

"You all grow up so fast," he said, crossing his arms. "But it's good to see that everyone is doing well. You youngsters all have such bright futures." He grinned. His eyes suddenly lit up as he seemed to remember something. "Oh! By the way, Momo, there's something I wanted to talk to your father about—have you seen him anywhere?"

The girl tilted her head to one side pensively. "You know, I actually haven't seen him since the party started," she said. " I can help you look for him though, if you'd like?"

"No, that's ok," he said, chuckling. "I'm sure if I make another round I'll find the man eventually." He turned to his daughter. "Mimi, can you go find your mother? We need to head out after I talk to Mr. Yaoyorozu."

"Sure thing, Dad!" She smiled back. They watched as he disappeared into the crowd of people of the living room.

"Well, it looks like I have to go," Mimi looked up at Yaoyorozu, pouting dramatically before switching back to a more cheerful grin. "I'm sad we didn't get to catch up more, Momo. We should hang out sometime."

"Yeah, for sure," Yaoyorozu said reassuringly. "Are you doing okay these days?" There was a look on Yaoyorozu's face Shouto couldn't quite pinpoint. Concern, maybe?

"Mmhmm. I think so." Mimi flashed a wide smile, replying a little too quickly. "I'll talk to you soon?" Her attention shifted to him. "It was good meeting you as well, Todoroki. Perhaps I'll see you at the next party the Yaoyorozus host?"

"Ah…maybe." He responded, glancing over to Yaoyorozu, who didn't seem to notice. It was more her decision than his. "Who knows."

He stood awkwardly to the side as Mimi gave Yaoyorozu a quick hug. He himself gestured something akin to a good-bye wave as she left.

Yaoyorozu face reverted to one of concern at Mimi's retreating figure. She suddenly seemed to remember Shouto was still standing there and turned to him. "Anyways, food? I'm actually feeling kind of hungry myself, now."

He nodded, grateful his stomach didn't voice his hunger this time around. "Yeah, that'd be good."

The two of them continued to the dining area. Unfortunately, Yaoyorozu kept getting stopped by various guests who apparently hadn't gotten a chance to speak to her earlier. Shouto had been introduced to so many people by the time they reached the food counter that he barely remembered all their names. Oddly enough, aside from Mr. Minamoto, they had not been intercepted by any of the other parents of Yaoyorozu's "friends". Shouto suspected he might know the reason. Based on what the girl had told him, it was quite possible that they'd glean information from their children after the party was over—they'd directly spoken to him, after all.

He and Yaoyorozu finally reached the long table in the dining room on which a massive variety and amount of food was displayed. Kuroshima had not been kidding earlier when he had stated there was a lot left. Shouto wasn't sure he had ever seen so much food in one place. Each entree was laid out on fine porcelain plates in front of which were labels that had been carefully scripted in calligraphy on expensive-looking cream-colored paper. The labels described the food and had what Shouto assumed was the country of origin written below it. They seemed to generally be organized geographically, and he was glad when he found the one he was looking for amongst a myriad of other Asian dishes. _Zaru Soba (Japan)._

As he piled food on his plate, he considered Yaoyorozu's parents. He knew they ran a business, and heard that they were internationally well-traveled—the wide variety of food potentially supported that notion—but had no idea the actual nature of their occupations. Honestly, this whole party had raised a number of questions about his classmate's life in his head. And he still had yet to meet the girl's father.

"Hey, Yaoyorozu…"

He caught her licking something off the tip of her pinky and she quickly pulled her hand away, embarrassed. "Yes, Todoroki?"

"What exactly does your dad do?"

"He's a businessman," she answered automatically as she carefully placed what looked like mini-quiches on her plate.

"Right…but what type of business?"

"Oh, right." She gave him a sheepish look. "You could say he's an investor and product designer. Father used to design his own products to sell, but these days he mostly helps funds other people's ideas. A lot of his clients live in other countries so he's often overseas." The girl took a ladylike bite out of the pastry she had just put on her plate, covering her mouth as she swallowed, before adding, "I don't really see Father much since he's never home."

"I see." She stated it as a fact, but her words were tinted with a slight sadness. Given how demanding Mr. Yaoyorozu's job must be, Shouto supposed it made sense. Even the average white-collar worker these days spent a disproportionate amount of time at their job, leaving barely enough time for their home life. He considered his own old man. Shouto didn't see too much of him these days—he avoided the man when he could at home—but overall, being a hero afforded quite a bit of flexibility in one's schedule. Whether or not he wanted it, Endeavor had always been _very_ present in his life.

But that wasn't something he wanted to think about. Turning his attention to the plate of soba in his hand, Shouto happily slurped up some of the noodles, relishing the sense of familiarity it brought.

"Ah, Momo, there you are," a masculine voice suddenly pierced the air behind them. His sudden appearance caught them both by surprise. It was Kuroshima. "Wish you could've joined us. We were having a _lovely_ conversation about the security system sector."

Yaoyorozu didn't respond—her mouth was full.

"As lovely as that sounds, I doubt I'd have anything of merit to contribute to such a conversation," she said flatly once she had swallowed.

"Oh?" Kuroshima said. "That's too bad. Given the recent events surrounding U.A. I thought you both might have a thing or two to say about the school's security in particular."

"If you're referring to the League of Villains attack, the faculty has been quick to fortify security measures and no incidents have happened on campus since," Shouto stated, before slurping another mouthful of soba. Yaoyorozu seemed surprised he had spoke up, but nodded in agreement.

"That's good," Kuroshima responded, adjusting the collar on his well-tailored suit. "With crime rates on the rise, it's always a good idea to take extra precautions."

"You seem awfully interested in security stuff, Kuroshima," Shouto noted, slurping his soba emphatically.

"That's because his family's a big name in the tech industry," a voice blurted out. Kaneshiro had come to stand by the boy's side. Shouto vaguely wondered if the girl had maybe had a bit too much to drink. Her words seemed slurred together, but she was still talking really fast—maybe that was just how she always sounded. "The Kuroshimas own a lot of the high tech components that go into the security systems many hero agencies and residential areas are using these days."

"Ah, there you are," Kuroshima said, smiling as he placed his hand on the small of her back. He sneezed suddenly.

"Ewwwwwww Kioshi," she said, quickly whipping a tissue out of her bag which he pressed to his face right away. "I'm sorry my boyfriend is so gross." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Also, sorry about that comment about your father earlier, Todoroki. My big mouth gets me into trouble all the time. It runs in the family." She seemed more proud of the fact than sorry, Shouto thought.

"I think I'm going to leave soon, it seems my allergies are working up or something," Kuroshima sniffed, wiping his nose. Upon closer inspection, it did appear that his eyes were red and puffier than when they had met earlier. Shouto stole a glance at Yaoyorozu. He had a sneaking suspicion as to why.

Out of the corner of his eye, he also noticed the guy Tetsuya Seto standing awkwardly to the side of them. He appeared to be observing the situation, his eyes fixated on…Yaoyorozu. Shouto kept his eye trained on the guy. He was still wary given the earlier comment he had made. That combined with the fact he was staring at Yaoyorozu irritated him more than he expected.

His attention shifted as Kuroshima and Kaneshiro said good-bye and hastily made their way out. Shouto tensed up when Yaoyorozu suddenly jumped into him slightly. Tetsuya Seto had moved right by her other shoulder, standing uncomfortably close to both of them.

The guy was pinching something between his fingers. "Fur. Cat fur—Japanese Bobtail it seems. I didn't know you owned a pet." he said robotically, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

Yaoyorozu shrugged. "I might've mentioned it in passing before. She's usually upstairs for these events."

The guy blinked back at her awkwardly, as if contemplating the nuances of her response. "Fair enough." He looked over to Shouto, finally acknowledging his presence. "Ah, Todoroki, my apologies for the comment I made earlier. It was uncalled for and my behavior was unacceptable."

"It's fine," Shouto reassured him, despite the fact he still felt some level of irritation with the guy. His monotonous apology seemed half-hearted.

Another moment of silence passed before Seto bowed slightly to Yaoyorozu. "I am going to take my leave as well. Many thanks for hosting again this year."

"Ahh, it's my parents you should be thanking, not me," Yaoyorozu responded, bowing politely. "Thank you for coming."

Seto nodded, and quickly disappeared into the crowd of people that was gradually thinning out.

* * *

When he was certain no one was in earshot, Shouto finally spoke one of many thoughts that had been lingering on his mind.

"…Were you aware that Kuroshima was allergic to cats?" Shouto side-eyed the girl next to him in between slurps of soba.

"What? Why do you ask?" She inquired between bites of her own plate of food, entirely failing to answer his question.

He paused, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "I don't suppose you _purposely_ had us play with Hime to avoid further contact with unwanted parties?"

Yaoyorozu didn't look him in the eyes. "You're giving me way too much credit, Todoroki," she responded plainly, but the slight quirk at the edge of her lips made him question the truthfulness of her statement. There was something about the way she responded he found vaguely…amusing, he supposed.

No one else bothered them the rest of the evening—whether it was due to the fact they were covered in cat hair or that they mostly stood near the kitchen and dining area…Shouto couldn't be sure.

He did know one thing, though. He left the party with a strange feeling. His Mom's words from earlier in the day floated back to him.

In spite of everything...somehow...maybe he had really actually enjoyed himself.

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry this is a bit late! Yesterday ended up being busier than expected. Ironically enough, I was invited by a friend as a +1 to a fancy party. Luckily we didn't run into any snooty rich people =P_

 _Public sneezing in Japan is generally looked down upon? Or so I've been told._

 _This chapter was definitely one of the harder ones to write. I had a difficult time balancing all the different character interactions and it feels super dialogue heavy to me ^^; but there are other chapters I am looking forward to so we're chugging on ahead either way!_


	10. Princess Problems

"I'm so glad we get to hang at your palace again," Jirou beamed, setting her overnight bag down on the floor with a thump.

Momo chuckled as she closed the door behind them. "Thank my parents for deciding to take a trip to Venice right around your birthday." Her expression changed to a mildly irritated one. "Also, please—it's not a palace."

Jirou stuck her tongue out at her friend. " _Sure."_

Momo smiled back. She was glad to have Jirou's company considering how quiet and empty the house had been lately. She was a bit surprised her mother had been so willing to let her have not only Jirou, but the rest of her female classmates over. And for a _sleepover_ at that. The thought put a little more bounce in Momo's steps. She'd never had a sleepover before. Or even been to one, for that matter. The more she thought about it, though…her mother hadn't said a word about the party nor Tetsuya Seto in the time between the aforementioned event and her flight out to Venice. It was a bit strange, really, considering what she had whispered to her when she had whisked her away from all the young people at the party…

But there were more exciting things to look forward to now. The rest of the girls would be coming shortly. Since Jirou and Ashido's birthdays were so close together, Momo had rationalized this was a perfect opportunity to get everyone together to celebrate both of them. However, the girl still valued the one-on-one time with her closest friend and had invited her to hang out a bit earlier.

"Did you invite any of the guys to come?" Jirou asked curiously as she followed Momo up the spiral staircase.

"Did you _want_ me to invite the guys to come?" the vice president shot back over her shoulder.

"I wouldn't have minded," she shrugged, giving Momo a mischievous grin as they stopped at the top of the stairs.

Momo smirked, crossing her arms. "Somehow I have a feeling my parents would not have been okay with me inviting guys to sleep over."

"You're such a goody-goody, Yaomomo," Jirou pouted jokingly. "But fair point."

"Who would you have wanted me to invite, anyway?" Momo asked _just for curiosity's sake_ as she led them through the door to her room. The thought of hosting their entire class had crossed her mind, but there were certain people— _ok, maybe just Mineta_ —who she had mentally banned from sleeping over under any circumstance. There was no way that would turn out well. "Kaminari, maybe?" she added with a teasing lilt.

"Yeah, probably," Jirou mused, seemingly unfazed by her friend's implication. "And Todoroki, I think…"

The mention of the boy's name brought a strange feeling over Momo. "I didn't know you were close to Todoroki."

"I'm not really," Jirou shrugged. "But _you_ are, right?"

"Eh? What are you talking about?" Momo said innocently. Thoughts of the party and the conversation she had with the half and half hero ran through her mind. Jirou didn't know about any of that, though.

Momo's eyes darted to Hime who, having heard the two of them enter, approached Jirou to brush herself up against her leg, mewing up at the girl. Usually Jirou would've been distracted by the cat, but apparently the topic at hand had her total attention.

"Uhh I have eyes, y'know," Jirou quipped, then brought her earphone jacks up and waved them near her friend's face, eyes narrowed. "And insanely good ears."

"Are you implying you've been eavesdropping on me?"

Jirou mock-gasped. " _Excuse you,_ I have some class." She raised an eyebrow. "Why, do you have something to hide?"

 _Maybe._ Momo considered all that she hadn't told her best friend. She still felt semi-conscious about being open about her life outside of school. _Then again…_ she considered how quick she had been to tell Todoroki about herself the night of the party. Sure she could've chalked it up to her own nervous energy due to the circumstances at the time, but even then, sharing with him had felt so…easy. Momo was touched he also felt comfortable to share a bit about his family with her as well. It made him feel a bit more relatable. Closer.

"Has Todoroki been over to your house before?" Jirou asked suspiciously when she didn't respond.

Momo hesitated to answer. The girl wasted no time in interpreting that as she wished.

"Wow, he _has_ hasn't he?" She continued, her earphone jacks jabbing questioningly at the air.

Momo chuckled back nervously. "Maybe."

"What, just the two of you? Alone? While your parents were away?" Jirou smirked, poking her best friend in the shoulder incessantly. "How sly of you, Yaomomo…"

She shook her head, waving her hand dismissively. "No, nothing like that." The urge to just tell Jirou about everything that had happened was stronger than ever. She laughed nervously. "Do you _really_ want to know the drama that is my life?"

"I mean if you're going to lead in with _that_ …" Jirou crossed her arms. "I don't know, am I _really_ your best friend?" she countered.

She had a point. Momo felt a pang of guilt at being so secretive towards her. If she could speak so openly to Todoroki about her life, how could she not to her best friend? She sighed. "Sorry, I guess I just thought…you might be offended if I talked about my 'wealthy people problems'."

Jirou sighed, pressing a hand dramatically to her chest. "Yes, I'm terribly offended you invited me to stay at your palace."

"It's not a palace, Jirou," she responded, feeling like a broken record.

"That's what a rich person would say," she teased. When Momo didn't say anything, she cleared her throat. "I'm serious though, you can tell me anything. While I may not understand everything about where you're coming from, I promise I'm a good listener." She waved around her earphone jacks to emphasize her point.

Momo sighed in relief. "Okay…" She plopped down on top of her king-sized bed, patting the area next to her for Jirou to sit down.

It felt freeing to let everything out. She told Jirou about how her mother had _insisted_ she invite an escort. How she had invited Todoroki and the group of "friends" she often hung out with at these parties had upset her. About the conversation the two of them had had in her bedroom ( _"Ooh, just the two of you alone? In your bedroom?"_ Jirou teased). There were some parts of that she still left out, though. While she was touched he had trusted her enough to share with her, Momo had the feeling Todoroki didn't want others to know about his own familial issues. Her own family issues were another story…

Jirou was silent after Momo had finished telling her everything.

"Y'know, I was going to be slightly offended you didn't invite me to your fancy party but after hearing about all that…" she put her palms together in front of her face and inclined her head towards her friend. " _Thank you for sparing me_."

Momo laughed. "Thank you for listening."

Jirou leaned back, letting her head plop down on on the bed. She twirled one earphone jack around her finger, processing everything. "So the guy you were referring to when we were at the mall—the one your parents are trying to set you up with—his name is Tetsuya Seto?"

"That's right."

"Why him, though?" Jirou looked up at her curiously.

"I mean, aside from the fact he's also from a wealthy and well-known Hero family—"

"—Uh, _so is Todoroki_ ," Jirou said pointedly.

"—I guess his quirk is 'complementary' to mine," Momo said. While her mother had never outright stated the why, Momo knew the woman well enough to figure what her thought process was.

"Huh?" Jirou's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I thought you said his quirk was kind of useless."

" _Hey!_ I just said it's not particularly suited for fighting," Momo pouted. The memory of Tetsuya picking Hime's fur off of her dress at the party—and getting a little too close for comfort—flashed across her mind. "It allows him to understand the molecular structure and makeup of anything he touches. He'd be best suited to doing research or investigation or something like that."

Momo let herself fall back against her pillows next to Jirou. "But in combination with my quirk…"

Jirou stroked her chin pensively, the wheels turning in her mind. "I see…it would almost be like an enhancement for you, huh?"

Momo nodded. Honestly, the set up would benefit her more than it would him. Her mother was evidently looking out for her best interest. If they worked as a team, she'd potentially have a much easier time creating things she wasn't familiar with. And if her mother was thinking _much_ further ahead—should they have any kids that inherited _both_ of their powers…well, they'd potentially have a prodigy on their hands. _Ugh._ Momo pushed the thought out of her mind. She hardly wanted to think about relationships yet, let alone marriage, let alone _children_ …

Next to her, Jirou sighed. "Wow. Who knew living the high life could be so hard."

"At least you get to benefit from it," Momo sassed. Poking fun at others still didn't feel completely natural to her, but being friends with Jirou was slowly but surely changing that.

She sat up when phone suddenly went off. "Ah, it seems everyone else just arrived." Momo hopped off the bed. Jirou was still lying across the bedspread, too comfortable in her current spot to get up. An insistent meow from below shifted Momo's attention. "…Aaand Hime is hungry. Jirou, would you mind getting the door while I get this princess something to eat?"

"Man, your cat sure lives up to her name." Jirou jumped up. "I'll feed Hime. I have no idea how to work your security system thing."

"That works." Momo smiled at her as she walked towards the door. "Thanks—the cat treats are in one of the matryoshkas on top of my desk."

Jirou looked over, scanning the row of dolls until she saw one that was painted like a cat. "Ah…got it." She stooped down to ruffle the fur on Hime's head. "Time to eat, Hime…"

Satisfied that that was taken care of, Momo hurried down the stairs so the rest of the girls could join them, nearly tripping on the top step in her excitement. She had spent more time than she should have looking up what a typical girls' sleepover was like the night before. _Snacking, painting nails, face masks, talking…_ tonight would definitely be a lot of fun.

All her research had also led her to the conclusion that there was one topic that was bound to come up at some point during the night. The thought of it gave her a strange feeling in her stomach. She never liked those kinds of conversations. While Jirou had skirted around the question, Momo knew others—Ashido, for sure—would be far more direct.

She had rehearsed an answer in her mind so she would be prepared.

That train of thought brought to mind a certain red-and-white-haired boy.

 _I wonder what Todoroki is up to tonight…_

* * *

 _Hmmmm, what could Todoroki possibly be doing with his free time? (Take a wild guess~you're probably close)_

 _Second party in a row for Momo but hey, they're on break so there's a bit more time for fun =P_

 _On a slight tangent, I was inspired to write an angsty-ish Todomomo one-shot last week so hopefully I'll have that up soon..as well as a plot for another multi-chapter fic vastly different from this one. What have I done . At other fanfic writers...is this what happens!? You start one multi-chapter fic and then you want to write them all... ^^;_

 _As always, thanks for reading!_


	11. Sibling's Intuition

Shouto had always been pretty disciplined due to all the training he had as a child, but he supposed the fact it was summer break had made him more complacent than usual. Not having Endeavor breathing down his neck also helped with that.

He hadn't meant to sleep in until noon. It just sort of happened.

Even after waking up, he ended up lying in bed for awhile, staring blankly up at the ceiling as he drowned in his thoughts. The last few days had been a blur. Looking back, aside from the one day when he had visited his mom and attended Yaoyorozu's party, he really hadn't done much aside from sleeping, eating, and training.

It would probably be fortuitous to get up and train today as well. The last few days he had set aside several hours to work on his physical strength and agility as well as utilizing both sides of his quirk simultaneously. In fact, he had been so preoccupied with training, he hadn't gone to see his mom since the day of the party. He vaguely recalled Fuyumi mentioning she would try and visit her... _today, was it?_ She had to be lonely, being cooped up in the hospital room all the time. Shouto wondered if she would ever be permitted to leave the hospital and return to their house...or if she even wanted to. This place had been more of a prison than a home to her, after all.

Thoughts of his parents' strained relationship brought to mind the fact he had shared a bit about it with Yaoyorozu. _Maybe I shouldn't have told her…_

In the moment it had felt right. But it was like opening a can of worms and meant that she now knew there was possibly much more going on behind his stoic facade. While he never liked being put on a pedestal, perhaps it would've been better for her to retain that perfect image of him she likely had. The last thing he wanted was her pity.

Shouto knew it was pointless to waste time dwelling upon these things. Training camp was fast approaching, and he really should've been making the most of the day to prepare. But the buzzing of cicadas and the hot streaks of sun through the window made him less motivated than ever to go outside.

It was only when it grew harder to see the ceiling that Shouto realized the sun was setting and he had inevitably fallen asleep again. This had maybe not been the best use of time.

His stomach growled, drawing his attention to the fact he also hadn't eaten anything all day.

He finally got up to make himself something. It was dinnertime and Fuyumi still wasn't home. Not that Shouto minded too much—soba was his favorite and easily his go-to meal whenever his sister wasn't around to cook for them all. He listened for any sign of life while the soba cooked. His father apparently wasn't around—or didn't want anyone to know he was. As such, Shouto figured it was safe to eat out in the dining area rather than the confines of his room.

The house was deathly quiet, aside from the slurping noises he himself was making as he devoured the pile of soba before him. He glanced down at his phone on the table, which had lit up with another of a long string of texts.

Mineta had apparently found out that the girls were sleeping over at Yaoyorozu's house and was messaging the 1-A guys chat. How the boy had managed to get this information perturbed—or maybe more accurately, _disturbed_ —Shouto. Furthermore, his suggestion of sneaking onto the Yaoyorozu estate was downright stupid. From what Shouto could recall, it was a gated home with a security guard at the front (and perhaps more, for all he knew) and it would be near impossible to gain entry.

Luckily, Sero and Kaminari told him off since they had also been there before. Still, it bothered Shouto how perverted Mineta tended to be, especially towards Yaoyorozu. It wasn't like he himself hadn't noticed that Yaoyorozu had a very nice body. Anybody with eyes could tell. She was clearly very well-endowed. Thoughts of their exam came to mind, and the fleeting glance he almost had of her chest when she had created the special fabric to capture Mr. Aizawa— _but at least I had the decency to turn around_.

Besides, he didn't admire her for her looks. Sure, she was physically attractive, but on top of that the girl had a heart of gold and a brain to match it. The thought of Yaoyorozu's face—and the expression he saw quite often when he glanced over at her in class, the one when she was deep in thought—brought a small smile to his face. It felt like it had been awhile since he'd seen her.

That was another thing to look forward to at the upcoming training camp. Aside from the opportunity to continue strengthening both sides of his quirk, it meant he'd be seeing Yaoyorozu—and the rest of his classmates—pretty much 24/7 for the week.

Of course, that could be both a blessing and a curse.

The sound of the front door sliding open interrupted his thoughts. He tensed up, expression fading back into his usual look of indifference. It would be troublesome if whoever had just arrived saw him smiling.

"I'm home," Fuyumi said as she took of her shoes. "Sorry, I'm late—went to see Mom and ended up staying longer than I'd planned to."

"Welcome home." He relaxed a bit, relieved it was just his sister and not Endeavor. It occurred to him that he had only made soba thinking for himself and he could've accounted for Fuyumi as well—she was probably hungry given how late it was already. Luckily, there was still a decent pile of soba in front of him. He could afford to share some.

He held up the plate of noodles. "Soba?"

Fuyumi looked rather shocked by his offer. She held her hands up dismissively. "No no, it's ok, Shouto! I can just warm something up."

He didn't typically offer food to his sister. She seemed to be rethinking his offer though as he set the plate down and went back to slurping his noodles, never breaking eye contact with her. Her composure started to falter.

"Er—actually, can I have a bit?" She squeaked.

Shouto nodded, and Fuyumi smiled wider than she needed to. "Thanks."

He watched as his sister went to get a plate and a pair of chopsticks from the kitchen. She placed it on the table as soundlessly as possible and sat down across from him. There was silence as she took her time piling noodles onto her plate, Shouto watching her contemplatively.

Fuyumi couldn't stand awkward silences and was usually quick to speak up in situations like these. That was probably why she jumped slightly in her seat when he spoke up.

"How was your visit with Mom?" He asked as he carefully lowered the noodles on his chopsticks into the dipping sauce.

She blinked back at him, surprised—looking around as if to confirm he was actually speaking to her. He slurped his noodles in reply, looking at her pointedly.

"I-it was good!" she swallowed, still looking questioningly at him with wide eyes. He couldn't blame her. This was not at all typical of him, but since his mom had encouraged him to talk to his older sister more…he supposed it couldn't hurt to try.

"I was telling her about one of my students right now," she continued. "He reminds me of Natsuo when he was in junior high." She smiled, shaking her head. "This student is a very bright kid, but lacks motivation. There's no reason for him to be taking remedial classes if he'd just put more effort into his work." She sighed.

Shouto raised an eyebrow. "Are you calling our brother a slacker?"

His sister looked aghast at the accusation. "W-what!? _No._ " She waved her hands violently in front of her in denial. "I mean—well—" Fuyumi scratched the top of her head nervously. "Kind of? You probably don't remember too well, but Natsuo wasn't…the best student in elementary and junior high…"

"Oh." She was right—that was not something he knew about his brother. Their father had made sure of that. Shouto wondered what other parts of his siblings' lives he had missed out on during his childhood. While he knew bits and pieces about Fuyumi through her nervous chatter and attempts to fill silences at home, at this point he probably knew some of his classmates at U.A. better than his older brother. Brother _s._

Fuyumi shrugged awkwardly, the silence clearly making her uncomfortable. "But I mean—look at him now! He's studying medicine at a top college, has a girlfriend, is overall pretty cheerful…" She sighed in relief. "It's a good thing he decided to shape up in high school."

Shouto's response was another aptly-timed slurp of noodles. He looked up at his sister and nodded in acknowledgement.

"How's U.A. going anyway? Are you enjoying it so far?"

 _So far..._ well, a lot had happened in their first semester. "Yeah. My classmates have really pushed me to try my best as a hero." He thought back to Midoriya's words at the Sports Festival. "It's because of Midoriya that I started visiting Mom again. I'm really grateful for that."

"I think she is, too." Fuyumi said gently. She seemed to be thinking about something that made her smile wider. "Mom talked a lot about you, Shouto. I think it really makes her happy that you visit so often."

Shouto felt his face heat up. "It makes me happy, too."

His sister hummed in delight at his reaction. Her expression changed as she seemed to be reminded of something else. "Does…Dad know you've been visiting Mom?"

He took a bit longer slurping his mouthful of noodles. "Does it matter?" Of course he hadn't bothered to tell the man. Whether or not Endeavor had taken note of his son's frequent outings and connected the dots was another question.

"I mean…" Fuyumi eyes darted to the ground nervously. The girl hated confrontation, and it looked like she was debating whether or not she wanted to say something. "It couldn't hurt to at least…try to talk to him."

 _Tch. Yeah, right._ Shouto didn't even bother to grace her statement with a response.

"He is still our dad, you know."

"By blood only," he retorted. "Not in the same way Mom is our mom."

Fuyumi sighed. "He's...trying to do better, I think…"

The resounding slurp of his noodles was a bit more aggressive than the rest. He still harbored a lot of anger against his father. Shouto didn't even think it was about himself anymore. As traumatic as the harsh years of training under Endeavor had been, he had recognized that it had played a part in transforming him into the person he was now. That didn't make what the man had done _right_ , but Shouto could say that his control over his abilities and the fact he had gotten into U.A. with recommendations—at least some of that was due to all the practice he had had as a child.

Regardless, the real issue he had with the man was how he had hurt Mom. Remembering how she had always been crying, how harshly he had spoken to her and the times that had played itself out physically—it still made his blood boil. He wouldn't deny that out on the field Endeavor lived up to his title as the #2 Hero. But he was still a rotten father and a terrible person. And Shouto still wasn't ready to forgive him for that.

"Oh, by the way—Mom mentioned you went to a party with a girl friend?"

The change of topic came from nowhere. Shouto almost spit out his noodles in surprise. He focused on swallowing before he turned to his sister. " _What_?"

"Ah lady friend, sorry!" Fuyumi corrected herself quickly. "I didn't mean…yeah."

A suspicious glance at his sister confirmed what she had said was, in fact, a mistake and not her being a typical older sibling purposely teasing her younger brother. He didn't respond. The mention of the girl who he had ironically been thinking about a few minutes before made his face burn uncomfortably.

His sister didn't seem to notice. "Did you have fun?"

"I think so." By all accounts, the time he had spent at Yaoyorozu's parents' party could hardly be considered _fun_ , but something about the night had still left a warm feeling in his chest.

"What's her name?"

"Momo Yaoyorozu."

"She's your classmate?"

"Yeah."

"What's she like?"

"I don't know." There were many words to describe Yaoyorozu. Too many. "She's a good student. Has the highest grades in our class." He narrowed his eyes at his sister. "Why are you asking me all this, anyways?"

"Oh, I don't know..." Fuyumi was giving him a strange smile. He wasn't sure what to make of it. "I hope I get to meet her someday..."

...Okay, maybe he had a vague idea.

" _Well_ , I'm going to go get some training in before the day ends," he said as he stood up, taking the now empty plate and chopsticks to the sink. While he didn't particularly like their last topic of conversation, talking with Fuyumi was actually kind of nice. He was glad he had decided to heed his mom's words. _Mother knows best, of course._

" _Shouto!_ You shouldn't train right after you eat!" His sister chided.

While he was quick to follow his mother's advice, he had no problem ignoring his sister's.

"Nah, it'll be fine," he reassured her. He was already walking away.

She sighed loudly. "Please be careful, Shouto. And thanks again for dinner."

"No problem."

He turned the corner for the hallway…and almost crashed into Endeavor. _Crap_. How long had he been standing there? Had he heard everything he and Fuyumi had just been talking about?

The man peered down at him and Shouto looked back up at him defiantly. He had no desire to ask the man what he had heard, and continued walking past him. Shouto slid the door to his room open but paused when his father spoke.

"Momo Yaoyorozu?" The man uttered slowly, looking over his shoulder.

Shouto glared back. "What's it to you?"

"She also got in on recommendations, correct?" He continued, deep in thought.

"Yeah."

"Her quirk has quite the potential it seems."

"Yeah," he answered again, attempting to infuse as much attitude as possible into the one word.

"...it's unfortunate she didn't perform better at the sports festival."

Shouto didn't respond to that one. Trust Endeavor to judge his classmate based on her abilities. He knew there was much more to Yaoyorozu than whatever his father had seen at the sports festival. Sure, people could change, but Fuyumi was clearly deluded in thinking that their old man was making progress in the right direction. As far as he could tell, their father was still the same person he remembered from his childhood.

"There's more to people than their quirks," he muttered over his shoulder, giving his father a fiery look before sliding the door to his room shut.

* * *

 _A/N: If you guessed Shouto was a) sleeping b) eating soba c) training or d) thinking about Yaoyorozu then ding ding ding! You were correct =P_

 _Shouto passive-aggressively slurping soba remains one of the most hilarious things in the manga to me. That one panel from Chapter 192 is my fav._

 _Based on Fuyumi and Natsuo's disposition towards their father, I imagine they went about handling his neglect very differently as children. Fuyumi seems like she would study hard and do her best at everything in hopes of someday gaining her father's attention whereas Natsuo's mentality was more "if he doesn't care about me and what I'm doing, why should I care?" (at least until high school). As for Touya…who knows..._

 _Kaito1413 Thanks! In regards to chapter length~I could definitely throw in more about surrounding descriptions/details to make them lengthier, but I'm pretty happy with the amount of actual plot development/pacing per chapter. I also value being able to post consistently, and I'm not sure I'd be able to keep up weekly updates with longer chapters. I'll try my best, though!_

 _Since this time of year is always super busy, I may not have time to post next week...just a heads up ^^; Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!_


	12. Sleep is for the Weak

_Note: Implied ships don't necessarily reflect my own shipping preferences~it's mostly based on my experiences at sleepovers in which people will inevitably turn anything and everything into romance._

 _I do wholeheartedly support Todomomo, but hopefully you already knew that if you're reading this =P_

* * *

"What type of tea would you all like with your cake?" Momo asked as she stood by the doorway leading to the kitchen. The rest of the girls had settled into the elegant chairs of the dining hall and were chatting amicably amongst themselves.

"Ooh! What was the tea you served us at the study session last time?" Ashido spoke up.

Momo beamed. "Harrod's Blend 49?" It was one of her favorites.

Jirou nodded in agreement. "It was really good from what I recall."

"Ok! Does anyone want anything different?" She inquired again, partially because she was hoping someone else was also secretly a tea connoisseur. Unfortunately it didn't seem like that was the case.

"You pick, Yaomomo!"

"Whatever you recommend, kero."

Uraraka didn't say anything—she seemed to be looking in awe at the walls surrounding them. And-Momo couldn't be sure, but-it appeared she was floating slightly out of her seat.

"Ahh, Uraraka—do you have a preference?"

"Huh?" The girl blinked at her, gravity bringing her back to rest on the chair. She blinked at Momo before realizing what she had just asked.

"Anything is fine!" She stammered, a dreamy smile on her face and... _were those tears in her eyes?_ "I'm just grateful to be having such fancy tea at your house…"

Momo nodded. "Ok, I'll be right back then, everyone!"

There was a spring in her step as she made her way to the kitchen. It was nice having so many people around the house. While it had been especially quiet since her parents were out of town, even when they _were_ around...well, the only time the house was ever this abuzz was when they were hosting a party. Sure, she talked to her mother throughout the week, but lately her father had been so busy with work she hadn't really seen him all that much.

Momo hummed as she went about brewing the tea, spooning out the appropriate amount of leaves into the ornately decorated teapot. The various sweets and finger sandwiches she had ordered beforehand were already laid out and placed on a cart. Momo opened the fridge to bring out the decadent cake she had specially ordered from Mr. Amai as well as the elegant looking birthday candles he had been kind enough to include with it. The cake was two-tiered and heavily decorated with gradient roses in various hues of pinks, reds, and yellows. She had asked that one tier be chocolate and the other vanilla to cater to everyone's tastes, but looking back... maybe it was a bit much. There were only six of them, after all, and unless everyone ate a third of the cake, there would be _lots_ left over.

But then of course, she could always try and eat a whole cake herself. The extra lipids in her system would _probably_ be useful during the upcoming training camp.

As she carefully arranged the candles on the cake, Momo guiltily considered that perhaps that had secretly been in the back of her mind all along…

Realizing she had forgotten to pull out a lighter and unwilling to waste time looking for one now—it had to be tucked away _somewhere_ since she had definitely made one before—she instead drew a new one out of her arm. Quickly lighting the candles atop the cake and setting the device aside, she pressed her hands together against her face, allowing herself a moment to marvel at how perfect everything looked before wheeling the cart out to the dining hall.

* * *

"Ahhhh, everything looks so amazing!"

"Uh Yaomomo, you sure you didn't steal someone else's _wedding_ cake?"

"Ehhhh are those _MACARONS!?_ I've always wanted to try one!"

Momo beamed at everyone's reaction. _But on a more urgent note..._

"Let's all sing before the candles melt!" She announced nervously. She was glad when everyone eagerly complied-clearly they were more than ready to eat.

That was especially evident once everything had gotten a piece of the cake and an assortment of treats and the conversation had come to a temporary halt—they were all too busy savoring everything on their plate.

"What did you guys wish for?" Uraraka broke the silence, having finished her slice of cake first, much to Momo's surprise. She had always considered herself a fast eater—especially when it came to sweets—so Uraraka must've _inhaled_ the whole thing or something.

"That I'll hook up with a super hot guy this year!" Ashido blurted out, grinning as she rested her chin on one hand.

"I thought wishes don't come true if you voice them," Jirou retorted as she brought another forkful of chocolate cake to her mouth.

"How do you know that's actually what I wished for?" Ashido shot back with a wry laugh. She leaned back in her chair. "Seriously though, I'm dying here. One semester in and nothing's happened! Where's the high school romance I was promised?"

"There's still plenty of high school left, kero."

"You could find yourself a matchmaker if you're so concerned," Hagakure joked, clasping her hands together dreamily.

Momo chuckled. She hadn't heard of too many people going to matchmakers as young as high school, but among her parents' wealthy friends...it _did_ happen. Hagakure's comment brought someone to Momo's mind, though.

"I actually know someone who has a quirk like that," she mused out loud, shrinking back when everyone squealed in a mixture of surprise and delight.

"Eh, _really!?_ Who? What?" Hagakure asked eagerly, her fork clattering against the porcelain plate. Ashido was also looking on expectantly.

Momo hoped she wouldn't regret bringing this up. "A family friend of mine. Her Quirk is actually called Matchmaker." She paused as the girls leaned in closer to her in anticipation of what she had to say next. "She can tell how compatible two people are."

 _"What?!"_ Ashido, Hagakure, and Uraraka shouted in unison. Even Asui's eyes seemed to widen a bit.

"That's so cool!" Hagakure piped up.

"Wah Yaomomo, you should've invited her to join us!" Ashido wailed. "I want to know who I'm compatible with!"

Momo shook her head. "That's not how it works, though. The two people have to be in close proximity to each other for her to be able to detect anything." Not to mention the other drawbacks of bearing such a quirk. She could understand why everyone else seemed so enamored with the idea, but based on what she'd heard from Mimi herself—

"Has your friend ever used her quirk on you?" Asui asked, expression unchanging.

Everyone's eyes turned to her. Momo felt her face heat up from all the sudden attention. She should have known how easily this conversation topic could lead into other things.. _Of course, but..._ "Uh…well..."

"—Hey, isn't this the sort of thing we should save for late night discussions?" Jirou butted in suddenly, arms across her chest as her earphone jacks gestured in lieu of them..

"Any time of day is a good time to talk about love!" Ashido protested.

"But everyone knows nighttime is when all the best secrets come out!" Hagakure proclaimed.

Momo sighed in relief as the two of them continued playfully bickering about the timeliness of talking about matters of the heart. Jirou gave her a pointed look and Momo silently thanked her for the save.

Granted...it was still going to come up eventually. They were just prolonging the inevitable.

* * *

After much laughter and demolition of what Momo deemed a sufficient amount of the sweets (there was still about half of both the vanilla and chocolate cakes left, unfortunately), she led them over to the downstairs guest room where they would be sleeping. As they walked down the hallway, they passed by various family photos of the Yaoyorozus. Many of them had been taken at various locations around the world—her parents had always loved traveling, and she was grateful they had almost always brought her along.

"Aww, Yaomomo, you were such an adorable kid!" Momo followed Uraraka's gaze to one of the pictures on the wall—one her family had taken in front of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. She had been four—maybe five, then? It was probably her favorite picture she had with her parents. They all looked so happy. _And_ that trip had been her introduction to matryoshka dolls. Four-year-old Momo was even holding one in the photo.

"By the way, what are your parents doing in Venice, Yaomomo?" Jirou asked, casually stretching her arms above her head. "Vacation or…?"

"They said it was for vacation, but father's also taking care of some business ventures while he's out there," Momo replied, chuckling. Her father never really "vacationed" these days.

"For him to be a hero and businessman...does he use his Quirk as part of his job?" Asui asked matter-of-factly, one finger pensively on her chin.

Momo nodded, beaming proudly. "Father's quirk is 'Drawn to Life'." She had always thought her father's quirk had a cool name. "He can create 3D objects out of 2D images so long as he can conceptualize what it would look like in the real world."

"Sounds pretty cool," Jirou grinned.

"Yeah…" Momo smiled, escaping back to when she was five years old. "He used to read me stories using his own drawings and would bring them to life as he read." She smiled at the memory of the princess doll he had created after reading her one of her favorite fairy tales for the umpteenth time. "We used to have contests where we'd both try to create things out of our drawings. I thought it was a lot of fun at the time, but it was also my father's way of helping me develop my quirk."

Her quirk Creation bypassed the extra step of having to draw out what she imagined. She still remembered the look on her mother's face when she had found her in a pile of matryoshka dolls—no drawings whatsoever in sight. It had been one of such _awe_ and _admiration_ and was unfortunately not an expression she had seen from her mother since.

"It sounds like you and your Dad were pretty close," Asui grinned.

Momo grinned as well, but it faded as she answered. "We used to be," she said as she opened the door to the guest room and switched the lights on. "These days, though, he's so busy with work I hardly ever see him."

The rest of the girls gave her understanding looks.

"I know how that feels, " Uraraka piped up. "My dad got busier with his construction company when I was in middle school. I'm still pretty close to him, but I definitely didn't see him around home as much."

"I never see my dad around," Hagakure added in a rather chipper voice, and it took a second for them all to realize she was joking. _Or was she?_

"Neither do I," Ashido said, plopping down on the plush chair nearby. "As much as I love talking about dads...why not talk about _boys,_ instead?" She smirked mischievously.

"Oh boy, we're starting _that_ topic up again, already?" Jirou rolled her eyes, but Momo caught the split-second smile that quirked the edge of her friend's mouth. She smiled a bit herself. Even Jirou had to be curious. Momo had to admit she herself wanted to listen to what everyone else had to say on the topic—she just wish that didn't mean she would also be expected to contribute.

"We have lots to talk about though, don't we?" Ashido sang. "There are so many guys to choose from amongst 1-A given there's only six of us. And there's all the guys in 1-B, too!"

She did have a point there. Next to her, it seemed that Uraraka's face had turned several shades of red.

Apparently, Momo wasn't the only one that had noticed. Ashido gave a devious grin. "Hmmm Ochaco, are you better _friends_ with Deku or Iida?"

"Ehh!? Why those two?" Uraraka squeaked, gesticulating wildly.

"What do you mean why those two?" Hagakure tagged on. "You're _always_ hanging out with them."

"Yeah, we're just asking who you're better _friends_ with…"

"Unless...there's something more?" Jirou added teasingly with a mock gasp, much to Momo's surprise. Uraraka had wrapped her arms tightly around her chest and was shaking her head a little too much, but remained tight-lipped.

Disappointed that the girl wasn't going to elaborate any further, Ashido playfully poked at Jirou instead. "Hey, what about you and Kaminari?"

"What _about_ me and Kaminari?"

"Hmm...I can see it!" Hagakure said, bouncing up and down in approval.

Jirou shook her head, cackling. "That guy is such an idiot. Seriously the face he makes when he short-circuits gets me every time." They all laughed as she imitated his signature thumbs-up pose. She smiled good-naturedly a second later, her ears a slight tinge of pink.

"It seems like you and Todoroki are pretty close, huh, Yaomomo?" Asui asked earnestly.

Momo laughed, hoping it didn't sound forced. "Yeah, he's a good friend."

"Are you sure there isn't something more going on?" Hagakure asked teasingly.

She shook her head. "No...I don't think so. We're seatmates so of course I talk to him a bit more than the rest of our classmates."

"Maybe you should have your matchmaker friend check your compatibility, hmm?" Ashido grinned. "You guys made a great team during the practical exams."

She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "No, no—there's no need. Besides, compatibility doesn't have to be overtly romantic."

"Hmm…"

Momo was relieved when Ashido moved on to her next victim—Hagakure was equally invested in the promise of romance after all. They would probably talk for awhile.

She looked up to see Jirou staring back at her, a contemplative look on her face.

Momo swallowed. Amongst everything she had shared with her friend earlier, the topic of Todoroki had only tangentially come up. It wasn't so much that she didn't want to share her thoughts about the boy with her best friend. It was that lately, she wasn't sure _what_ to think.

The words her mother had spoken to her at the party still bothered her.

"I'm glad I've raised such a smart daughter…" She had said, one arm around her shoulder.

 _Smart?_ "What are you talking about?"

"I had no idea you had invited a child of Endeavor's!" Her mother had whispered into her ear, grinning proudly. "The man is the #2 hero after all. How very strategic of you."

 _What?_ "Mother, I invited him because he's my _friend_. _"_

"And what have I always said?" She had smiled, unrelenting. "Choose your friends wisely. 'The richest people in the world look for and build networks...'"

"But—that's not—"

 _"Whether or not you consider him a friend, he was an excellent choice, Momo. I just wanted to tell you I'm proud of you."_

Her mind once again floated back to a lot of her initial thoughts on the boy and the many doubts she had about herself. She admired him for a variety of reasons, but maybe deep down…

She had known he had also gotten in on recommendations. She had also known his father was Endeavor and that their family was well off as a result. All this before she had gotten to know him on a personal level…could those factors have affected her inclination towards him in the first place?

True, she had only later decided, with Jirou's help, that she found him attractive—intellectually for sure, and physically as well, but beyond that...couldn't her inclination have even been influenced by other factors? What if the strange feeling in her stomach—and the way her face heated up when she though about him...were all superficial?

She just felt so… _conflicted._ How was she supposed to tell if her feelings were real or influenced by her parents' motives?

"Yaomomo? Earth to Yaomomo?" One of Jirou's earphone jacks was waving in front of her face. In the background, she could hear Asui calmly inquiring about Ashido's history with Kirishima—apparently they had gone to the same middle school or something.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, turning her attention back to the group conversation. It was a good distraction from the weight of her thoughts, and she was glad no one asked her about Todoroki again for the duration of the night.

It was late when the talking started dying down. Hakagure was the first to go—or so it would've seemed, given her pink tank top remained more or less motionless even as the rest of them repeatedly called her name. _Who knew she was such a deep sleeper_ , Momo mused as she went upstairs to her room to get extra pillows for everyone while they readied themselves for bed.

A warm breeze greeted her as she walked through the door, turning her attention to the window which was wide open. _That's weird, I thought I closed my window…_ Momo's brows furrowed. She prided herself on having an impeccable memory so the fact she could be so absent-minded perturbed her a bit. The air outside was suffocatingly hot during the day given it was August—it was practically law in the Yaoyorozu household that all windows would be shut to keep the air-conditioned coolness in.

She walked over to the glass pane and heard a soft mew. Leaning out a bit, she turned to the left and saw two bright eyes blinking back at her in the darkness.

"Hime, what are you doing out there?" She cooed. "Silly cat…" The girl stretched out her arms and the feline carefully walked over to her. Momo scooped her up and gingerly placed her on the floor before closing the window, making sure it was locked tight.

"Want to sleep downstairs with us?" She spoke down to Hime as she grabbed a few pillows and a thin blanket from the top of her bed. Momo chuckled when Hime yawned. She felt her own mouth stretch open, betraying her own tiredness. "Time to sleep..."

She waited as Hime gave a final glance out the window before following her down the stairs for some much needed rest.

* * *

 _Another OC quirk reveals this chapter~any guesses on what the rest of theirs are? =P_

 _Sorry this is a bit late! I keep trying to type stuff up right before I sleep and...well, you'd think I'd learned from all those unsuccessful attempts to do hwk in bed. Apparently not ^^;_

 _That and I've been distracted by the Todomomo/Royai AU fic I'm still working out..._

 _Please enjoy the longer chapter this week! I don't think I'll be able to post next week either~have a con next weekend and con crunch is very real right now TwT I'll be cosplaying Momo though so I'm super excited! I changed my profile pic to the Yaoyoroshka prop I made if anyone's curious._

 _Thanks for reading! Hope you all have had a great start to the new year!_


	13. (Cat)ch My Smile

It was the day before training camp started and Shouto couldn't deny that as the trip loomed nearer and nearer he had started to feel a bit nervous about it. There had been rumors floating around amongst the 1-A students—horror stories from the upperclassmen about how rigorous the week would be—and though that was a source of anxiety for a lot of his classmates, that wasn't necessarily the case for him. In his case, it was the thought of being in close quarters with his classmates for a whole week that was rather unsettling. As much as he enjoyed interacting with them while at school, he had always had time to recuperate from the events of the day once he got home and shut himself in his room. That wouldn't be an option there. He wasn't really sure what to expect and that uncertainty made him slightly stressed.

"How was the party with Yaoyorozu, Shouto?"

He looked up from the steaming cup of green tea in his hands to the woman sitting in front of him.

In retrospect, he should have considered coming to visit his mom first. Something about being with her and chatting over a warm cup of tea instantly calmed his nerves. Any thoughts he had of the upcoming week were put aside as his mom looked at him expectantly.

"There must've been a lot of people there—did you meet anyone new?"

"Yeah," he replied. The party had been so long ago, but he hadn't forgotten what had happened with Yaoyorozu's "friends". He wasn't nearly as upset about it as he had been in the heat of the moment, but he still felt a twinge of irritation remembering the conversation topic they had chosen. Shouto took a long sip of his tea as he searched the ceiling for the appropriate words. "Yaoyorozu's other friends seemed...nice."

He was confused when she blinked back at him curiously before delicately raising a hand to her mouth as she chuckled. "Well, if _that's_ the face you gave her 'nice' friends, they may not have gotten that impression," she teased gently.

Shouto cleared his throat. He hadn't realized he had been making a face. But really, why was he trying to speak politely about the whole thing to his mom? If there was anyone he could be honest with, it was her. "Oh. Well, I guess the feeling's mutual then."

Her face fell. "Shouto, what do you mean by that?"

He sighed, looking down at the palm of his left hand and feeling it heat up a bit. "It seemed like most of them knew who I was because of Dad and...I don't think any of them really like Endeavor." He closed his hand into a fist. "And since I'm his son...I don't think they liked me, either."

 _I don't want to be like him_. That was something he had known even as a child, face buried into her chest after witnessing the man strike her after she had tried to defend him during yet another hard training session.

"Oh, Shouto…" He looked up when his mother leaned forward and pressed a hand to his cheek, the cool touch of her fingers on his scar instantly soothing him. She looked intently into his eyes. "No matter what anyone says, you are not your father, ok?"

Shouto nodded. "Yeah." He knew that—she was always reassuring him in that regard. Still, it was hard to ignore that the rest of the world still saw him as the son of the #2 Hero.

"You are forging your own path and becoming your own hero. Remember that."

"Right." He couldn't help smiling at her encouraging words and the determined look in her eyes. "Thanks, Mom."

Shouto felt his face heat up when the hand that was pressed against his cheek moved to pinch it instead. "That's my little prince," she smiled. Perhaps he was too old to be letting her do that, but...the gesture still made him feel smile despite himself.

"Don't think too much about what they think," she continued, choosing her next words carefully. "People are the way they are for a reason. I'm not sure what happened with Yaoyorozu's friends, but...maybe they acted the way they did because that's what they know. That's what they learned growing up."

Shouto supposed she had a point. He hadn't actually met any of their parents, but based on his own upbringing...as much as he didn't want to consider the thought... _who knows_...perhaps they had also suffered at the hands of their parents growing up. While that didn't excuse their behaviour, he supposed he could try to empathize with them, a bit.

He had the sneaking suspicion, though, that she wasn't merely speaking of Yaoyorozu's friends.

"One of her friends, Mimi, was actually nice," he added, having remembered his encounter with the girl's father. He was still stuck on the fact Mr. Minamoto kind of resembled All-Might—in personality at least. His daughter was much the same; she had been the first to introduce herself and had actually made him feel welcome amongst the circle of people who knew each other already. It wouldn't be fair to generalize everyone as "nice" when that wasn't the case.

"Mimi and Momo?" His mother chuckled. "Sounds like a cute duo."

"Yeah." He hadn't made that association before, and it felt strange hearing his mother refer to Yaoyorozu by her first name. "It sounded like they kind of grew up together."

He paused to take a sip of his tea, the thought lingering on his mind . "I wonder what that's like, sometimes," he added quietly, mostly to himself.

While Midoriya and Bakugou's relationship was...interesting to say the least, at times Shouto had felt a pang of jealousy knowing that they had grown up together. In fact, he had gotten the impression that all his classmates had friends from primary school that they still hung out with in some capacity. That was what a normal childhood must have looked like.

He wasn't sure why, but he had always suspected Yaoyorozu might've also had a lonely childhood. Seeing her get along so well with Mimi, though, made him glad that perhaps she had not suffered the same fate as him. When he looked back at his own childhood...there was no one. Only his father looming over him with his arms crossed, a scowl on his face as he stood there, yelling, _yelling_...

"I'm sorry you didn't get to have that, Shouto." Her lips trembled as her hands crinkled the thin fabric of her hospital pants. She looked down at them, teardrops landing on the back of her hands.

He felt his own eyes water. He hadn't meant to make her cry.

Shouto shook his head, blinking his own tears away. "No, it's not your fault. I'm sorry for bringing it up." There was something about being home during summer break—it was the first real break he had had since school had started _and_ since he had started visiting his mom, so perhaps that had made him more reflective about things. Especially the things that had happened in their home as a kid since he was presently spending the majority of his time there. "Please don't cry, Mom."

She nodded, sniffling. Shouto reached over to grab her a tissue which she immediately took, dabbing at her eyes as she smiled weakly. "What else happened, Shouto?"

He shrugged. "Aside from that—the party was fun, I guess," he replied, trying to lighten the subject. In truth, it felt kind of hazy in his mind. What vividly stuck out was how delicious the soba had been and how nice Yaoyorozu had looked in her long red dress and…

 _Oh._

"Yaoyorozu has a cat called Hime," he replied, a small smile materializing on his face. "I got to hold her for awhile while I was talking with her." He made a face. "I should've thought to take a picture for you."

After all, when he was feeling down, seeing pictures of cats always put him at ease.

"Oh, that's right!" His mother clasped her hands together and tilted her head to the side. "Did you take any pictures with Yaoyorozu?"

Shouto raised an eyebrow. "I meant the cat."

"Right, right," she smiled. "But I also want to see pictures of _you_."

"Oh," Shouto blinked back at his Mom. "No...I didn't." He wasn't a particularly photogenic person. Throughout the semester he'd been pulled into a number of selfies by his classmates—and every single time, they had bemoaned the fact he wasn't smiling. In _any of them._

"Aw, ok," she whined, sounding more like a disappointed child than his mother. Her tone of voice became more familiar as she reached out a hand to ruffle his hair. "I just wanted to see my son all dressed up. You must've looked very handsome."

Shouto rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly. "Oh."

She hummed, softly. "I'm sure Yaoyorozu must've looked beautiful, too."

"Yeah…" She was right about that. Yaoyorozu as she had looked that day appeared in his head, and part of him wished he had thought to take a photo with her to have something to remember the night by.

...But then again, it would have been Yaoyorozu smiling and looking radiant in her red dress and him awkwardly not-smiling next to her...yeah, he could do without a tangible reminder. Memories were more than enough to live by.

His mother sighed. "Ah well. I hope I get to meet her someday."

Shouto leaned back in his chair and looked away, slightly amused. Fuyumi had said the exact same thing the other day. He supposed if his family were to meet any of his classmates, it would be Yaoyorozu, or Midoriya. Maybe even Iida, living out some self-proclaimed duty as the Class President.

"I hope so, too," he breathed, softly, as he let the possibility sit a bit longer on his mind.

Shouto wanted to believe that one day, she'd get to meet all of them. One day, when she was out of the hospital—and all was well.

He could only hope that day would come soon.

* * *

They talked for a bit more before she pointed out the time and insisted he go home and get extra rest to prepare for the week ahead. It was such a mom thing to worry about _that_ , Shouto thought, adjusting the strap of his backpack as he reluctantly stood to leave. She stood and he embraced her in a tight hug before making his way towards the door.

"Have a good time at training camp, Shouto!" She called after him, smiling brightly.

"Thanks, Mom. I'll tell you about it when I get back."

 _She really did look happier, these days_ , Shouto thought. He gave her a parting smile as he walked out.

...and crashed into someone walking by immediately afterwards.

"I'm _so sorry!_ Totally my fault for not watching where I was going!"

Shouto rubbed the bump on his head as the guy bowed in apology. He was mildly irritated—more so with himself. _If I hadn't been so focused on Mom_...he was embarrassed to have made such an absent-minded move.

The boy in front of him was also rubbing his forehead where a small red spot was forming. Shouto noticed he wore the same pale aqua hospital clothes as his mom. He thought he recognized most of the other inhabitants in the hall, but the head of spiky blonde hair didn't look familiar in the slightest. Well, actually—it vaguely reminded him of a certain classmate of his, but this boy had large friendly-looking eyes and a warm smile Bakugou wouldn't be caught dead with in a million years.

"No, my apologies," he responded, bowing his head. "I also wasn't paying attention."

The boy's blue eyes crinkled as he gave Shouto a friendly albeit nervous smile. "It's really all on me—I was busy looking at the room numbers...trying to find my room…" He pointed to the door right next to the one Shouto had just walked out of. "Apparently, it's right here."

"Ah, I see. Glad you found your way back."

The boy nodded as he grinned. "I'm Hiro, by the way," he said, extending a hand—then awkwardly drawing it back as something dawned on him. The gesture was a little curious, but Shouto didn't comment on it.

"Todoroki," he responded, acknowledging the boy's introduction with a nod. "Rei Todoroki—the patient next door—is my mother," he added. He wondered if this boy would draw any conclusions about who his father was, but was pleasantly surprised when he didn't.

"Ah, is that so?" Hiro beamed. "Do you come visit her often?"

"Yeah…"

"That's nice. You must be close."

Shouto nodded. He had never been good at making small talk. Hiro seemed friendly enough, though... _I should probably say something, huh._

They stood in silence for a moment before Hiro cleared his throat.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Todoroki! I probably shouldn't be wandering the halls for too long so I'll take my leave now," Hiro said, one hand on the handle of the door.

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you, too. Good night." Shouto watched as the boy swung the door open and waved before closing it behind him with a soft click.

 _Hiro, huh?_ With a name like that, Shouto had to wonder what kind of quirk he might have. Perhaps he was a student at Shiketsu or one of the other hero schools in the area.

It was only when his eyes darted to the label next to the door that said _Mr. Takasu_ that things started to click.

 _Takasu. Hiro Takasu._

Something about that name seemed vaguely familiar. He struggled to remember why as he briskly walked down the hall towards the hospital's entrance. It wasn't until he walked outside that he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

 _Wait_...Wasn't that the name of the guy Yaoyorozu and Mimi had been talking about at the party? And if so, what was he doing here?

It seemed like a pretty strange coincidence. Given that training camp was the next day, he supposed he could very well ask Yaoyorozu about it. She'd know what was going on.

But as he continued on his path home—the more he thought about it, Shouto considered that...perhaps Yaoyorozu _didn't_ know. Maybe Hiro—the Takasus—didn't _want_ others to know.

After all, his own mother's situation had stayed under the radar for such a reason.

Shouto shook his head. It wasn't any of his business. Maybe if he ran into Hiro again he'd ask him about it, but for now…

...now it was time to rest up and prepare himself for the week ahead.

* * *

 _A/N: ...oookay, I think I've officially introduced too many subplots lol. There should be more answers than questions from here on out._

 _Con last week (er, two now) was super fun, there were SO MANY BNHA cosplayers AHHH! Aaaand that is also why this chapter is so late hehe. On the off-chance anyone is interested in my cosplay adventures, I'm angelywencosplay on IG =P_

 _I think for my sanity, this'll start being a bi-weekly update? I'm looking at my schedule for the next two months and it's looking pretty busy. (Not just because I'm disappearing to play KH3)_

 _Thanks as always for reading!_


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